For My Mom

If you're lucky
You get a mom
Who forces you to hug her
Even when you don't like hugging very much

If you're lucky
Your mom doesn't care
Whether or not you feel like giving her a hug
And she just hugs you anyway
Because you actually do need a hug
And you just didn't realize it
Until she gave you one

She's your mom
She knows these things

If you're lucky
You get a mom
Who teaches you about hard work
By being the hardest worker
You'll ever meet in your life

If you're lucky
She teaches you that everyone
Deserves your respect
Until they don't

She teaches you
That the only difference between you
And someone less fortunate than you
Is luck
And you're lucky
And you should be grateful you're lucky
And grateful you have a mom
To teach you
About how lucky you are

And if you're lucky
You get a mom
Who drives you to school every morning
So you don't have to get up extra early
To catch the bus
Even thought she just worked all night
And probably just wants to go home and sleep

And if you're really lucky
She doesn't murder you
When she comes home
And finds out you slept through your alarm
And now you're going to be late

And if you're really really lucky
She doesn't kick you out of the house
When you do that two or three times
In the same week

If you're lucky
She doesn't disown you
After your third car accident
Or your fifth failed math test
Or after one of the thousand times
You're a brat with a big mouth
Or a satanic teenager
Or a surly twenty-something

If you're lucky
She loves you anyway
And you never have to ask for her forgiveness
Because she forgave you for all the bad stuff you did
Before you even realized how bad it was
Because she's your mom
And she loves you no matter how awful you are

If you're lucky
She makes sure your clothes are washed and ironed
And your dinners are always warm
And you go to school
And you wake up each day
Feeling safe and supported

And your holidays are happy
And your birthdays are joyous
And you feel
So lucky

If you're lucky she teaches you
To avoid a fight
But to fight hard when you do fight
And not let anybody treat you like a doormat

She teaches you to watch what you say
And you listen and you try
(You try)
And you hope one day you can carry yourself
The way your mom does
With dignity and class and strength

You hope you can figure out
All the things she's figured out
And show love and compassion
To the people you care about
While still showing up to work every day
And doing what you have to do
To give those people
The best life you can

You hope that people you meet
Will talk about you
The way they talk about her
Because so many people
Admire and respect her

And you know that she probably doesn't realize
How much of an impact she's had on you
Or that you feel overwhelmed
Thinking about how you would even begin to thank her
For all the times she's bailed you out
Or come to your rescue
Or watched you succeed at things
You never could have succeeded at
Without someone like her
Pushing you to be the person
She knows you can be

But if you're lucky
Maybe you give it a shot
And maybe you do a halfway decent job
And maybe she was right when she said
That you should become a writer

The truth is--

You'd be lucky
To get a mom
Half as great as her
Or maybe less

But to get a mom
As great as she is
You really gotta wonder

How lucky can you get?