Dear Peggy

Dear Peggy,

I would’ve titled this story “Dear Mama” but I know Peggy annoys you more. From me to you I guess you’ll remember the season of Thanksgiving as one of the main events when I come by your house and eat up all your food, especially banana pudding, but as shocking as it may be, Thanksgiving is also the time when I reflect on how thankful I am to have you as a mother.

So seven years ago you made the fateful, not to mention soul draining decision to adopt me out of love. Which is funny because I was already in my early 20’s at the time and wouldn’t have thought I was in need of a second bonus mom, but nevertheless you popped up when I met you at church once I started going back. You basically said “hey Joe, I’m Nicole and I’d like to be your church mama” and not exactly in those words. You kinda just showed up and refused to leave.

Before long you were annoying the mess out of me. You monitored all of my social media activity as well as my real life personal activities as a way of making sure I was behaving. As much as it’s gonna taste like drinking a mountain of NyQuil saying this, I really do greatly appreciate your annoying motherness.

When I think about you I think about the number 17. My mother died when I was 17 and you came into my life in 2017. After she died I didn’t think I needed another mother, but for some strange reason everyone thinks I’m a handful and apparently The Lord agrees so he gave me two bonus mothers to watch over me and you are one of them.

How do I know you were meant to be my mother? Because I did everything in my power to push you away and you just kept coming back. It took a whole year for me to finally accept you as my mother and it was definitely one of the best choices I ever made. Your first true mark of motherhood was driving to my job to confront me about putting bad language on my Facebook. That was truly one of the most traumatic memories of being embarrassed by my mom I ever had. When I was picking on one of my coworkers one day they even said “if you don’t stop messing with me I’m calling Peggy”.

I wouldn’t be lying if I said I was overwhelmed with your love during the holidays. In addition to a mountain of ginger ale and banana pudding for Thanksgiving you also showered me with a bunch of gifts for Christmas. When I asked you why you simply said “because that’s what mother’s do”. When you made me your son you also gave me a bunch of siblings who all love me as their older brother and I’m thankful for every one of them. Their love is also a gift beyond words.

If someone were to ask me if I thought you would still be in my life seven years after we first met I probably would’ve said no, but you told me a long time ago that you were in for the long haul. One day I told you I think my mother picked you to watch over me after she passed away because she knew your heart. I’m glad she did because the love you have for me is seen by everyone else in my life.

All of my friends and family who’ve never even met you acknowledge and appreciate the love you’ve given me including my older sister. I learned to accept your unconditional love when I saw it’s reality reverberate with everyone else.

Dear mama Peggy, as much as I pick on you and make fun of you (especially for being tall) I am always thankful to have you in my life. You have given me more gifts than I can count, but the greatest gift you have ever given me was adopting me as your son. Nothing and no one will ever convince me that you are not my mother, because you will always be my mother and I am forever grateful for you.

~Dedicated to my mother Nicole Moore Lee (Peggy).