Dear Mom,
I can’t begin to express how lucky I am to have you as my mom.
I could list a million stories of our times together and lessons I learned from you. I could tell you how I wish we could go back in time and go on our adventures again. I can see you reading this and welling up, so I’ll just try to sum up my gratitude to you in a few words with vivid pictures that always remind me of you.
Some of my favorite memories are our road trips together. The car rides we took up to the mountains with sing-a-longs of “Yellow Submarine” and my G.I Joes scattered in the back seat. Winding through mountain roads, avoiding boulders and slowing cars, mountain views out of both windows.
There would always be a point in the trip where you would pretend like you didn’t know where we were. Most seven-year-old kids would be terrified if their mom looked over to the passenger seat and said with a fake nervous voice, “We’re lost!!!” However, I was never worried and always knew everything would be OK. I’m with my mom and she knows where we’re going.
You carry a comforting strength with you.
As a single mom, raising a son by yourself couldn’t have been the easiest task. You played the part of mother, father, and friend all in one.
At 4’11 ½ inches tall – small and mighty – you always make sure I feel the infinite strength of your love by wrapping your arms around me. I remember shooting hoops in the driveway until the sun set. Let’s be honest, you were never afraid to give me an extra foul to toughen me up a little bit. You were my best friend at times and a disciplinarian when you had to be.
You carried that toughness into your profession, too. I remember visiting your high-rise corner office – always riffling through your candy and complaining that there were too many pictures of me on your desk.
I always thought of you as the boss.
But you were quick to remind me you started off by cleaning bedpans. You showed me that a woman could do anything a man can do and more.
You were a trailblazer in your profession and were never afraid to tell a man “I’m the boss.”
You worked incredibly hard over the years to provide a great life for us.
You have always been a constant inspiration; from making sure I said “please” and “thank you,” to signing me up for summer camp, or teaching me the value of a dollar.
You showed me the importance of treating people with respect and what it means to be a good man.
I can’t ever thank you enough for everything you have done for me. But I can tell you I will continue to be the great man that you raised.
I’m so grateful and forever proud to have you as my mom.
I love you.
Your favorite son,
Tim
Tim is the humble only child of powerhouse single mom, Penny Marshall, (not the celebrity, but a celebrity in her own right). Lover of basketball, photography, mastering the grill and space news, Tim hails from Arizona – which is fitting because he almost always has a sunny smile on his face. His mom, Penny, is the #1 Beatles fan in the history of the world – she started her career as a nurse and after being the big kahuna at a number of healthcare companies (also named one of the “Top 100 Female Leaders of Who’s Who in America”), she has finally retired to her own personal desert oasis (A.K.A. her backyard) with her two dogs, Hannah and Lucy.