Mother’s Day

An intimate portrait

My mother thinks I’m strange and a little weird and that’s alright with me. She’s a woman who raised me to be independent and to think for myself. She often makes fun of me since apparently I remind her of her mother. ( in a good way). Her mother before her raised two children on her own and didn’t bat an eyelid she was uncompromising and completely determined to do well by her children despite the fact that she barely had a high school education.

My mother is a woman who left her very poor little town in western Mass and whole heartedly with incredible courage embraced another culture defying her circumstance and upbringing. Despite her seemingly limited resources she showed me that she’s capable of anything. A woman of sharp wit and immense beauty, she faced her demons head on and became much more than just another white poor American. She grew through her connection with not only another culture but a language absolutely foreign to her.

My mother is my hero and I have often made it my duty to protect her. She’s been an inspiration and also a voice of reason. She’s baffled by my obsession with cleaning and over the top tidiness ( a little OCD anyone??) but also accepts my very quirky not normal side with the love that only a mother can give. She’s my most honest critic and my biggest fan and that is what made me what I am today.

I’m a strange breed and she still allows me to be who I am without restriction or malice, she lets people unfold and has mentored and lifted many others who found their path with her guidance. Above all Christine Jackson Counelis is a badass, a woman of cunning intellect and superb humor.

A woman of incredible courage and deep knowing. She constantly reinvents herself and as she gets older she explores avenues that other women her age would shy away from. Intrepid traveler and ever curious soul.

Happy mother’s day mama Christina.