Magnum Opus: Eulogy
Eulogy to My Mother
My mother was an alcoholic. She was drunk all the time and when she wasn’t drunk she was sleeping on the couch trying to get rid of her hangover only to get drunk again. It was the same cycle every day for the last seven years of my life. And I know this isn’t appropriate to say at a funeral but sometimes you have to get rid of the bad before you see the good.
It doesn’t mean she was a bad mother, in fact she was an amazing mother, however she struggled with her addiction. And in my heart I knew that she wanted to get better, she just didn’t know how to. My favourite memory of my mother was when I was ten years old. My father had just left us and I knew she was doing all that she could to get my mind off the recent turn of events. She took me to the amusement park. It was a tradition in my family, since my birthday fell on summer break my father and mother always took me every year on my birthday. However, this wasn’t my birthday it was the day my father walked out on my mother and I. We had just come of the Monster- it was a ride she always told me she would never get on in a million years. But, she did- for me. Not long after she found a trash bin where she vomited the pizza we ate earlier during the day. What turned out to be the worst day for a ten year old girl, turned out to be one of the most memorable. Because it was the day where I truly saw how strong my mother was. It was the day that I was determined to be as strong as her, one day.
I love my mother and she might have not been the best mother to some people, but she was the best one to me. Throughout my life she taught me many life lessons. However, the one that will stay in my heart forever is probably one of the most painful experiences I have gone through. I had recently broke up with my boyfriend and I remember sitting on the couch crying my eyes out. It was around eleven o’clock at night when my mom came and saw me sitting on the couch. She didn’t say anything, instead she put her bottle down and sat next to me for hours not saying a word but instead just holding me. Soon after when the tears were all over, she turned my face towards her and said “Scarlett sometimes you have to slay the dragons before you find the prince.” I looked at her confused with what she had just said. I opened my mouth to speak but I was greeted with shushes.
My mom is my hero and yes she fell of her wagon, but there wasn’t a day that went by where she allowed me to fall of mine. Instead she was there picking up the pieces every time I fell down, motivating me to carry on. Not only for myself but for her too and as I stand here saying my goodbyes as I learn to move on from this traumatic life experience. I say thank you, paying tribute to a wonderful women. I can honestly say that I look forward to getting knocked down because it’s a chance to stand back up and show that Mama didn’t raise a quitter, she raised a girl who knows how to pick up her own pieces every time she gets knocked down, being stronger than ever before. This is for you Mama.
