Thank you. These two simple words will never be enough to express the amount of gratitude I have towards a woman, who not only gave birth to me, but also gave me the encouragement to believe in myself no matter how I was feeling. The older I get the more I realize how fortunate I am and how demanding the role of motherhood can be and that I should count my blessings. The reason for this epiphany, you may ask? It’s quite simple. As of late I have been in a fortunate situation that has allowed me to observe my surroundings, working alongside the armed forces and I have come to the conclusion that the life of a military spouse can be hard most of the time, if not all of the time. Yet, my mother somehow managed to make the best of it. During a time when the Internet didn’t exist and career programs for military spouses were non-existent, my mother gave up her pursuit of a career in law after realizing that it would be impossible for her to fulfil the university requirements. This was a particularly bitter pill to swallow, only three credits shy of her final exam. After much contemplation and reluctance, she put her career dreams on hold and concentrated her efforts on motherhood. Fast forward a few decades later and I find myself travelling with my mum, on what I like to call her version of an Eat, Pray, Love Morocco edition. Key difference between the film and real life was that I was a tagalong. She was going through a particularly rough time and had asked me to come join her on this quest. I obliged, since she had been longing to go back after her first trip a few years earlier. This was the first trip that my mum had asked me to accompany her, since her remission of rectal cancer. She may have been in remission, however all was not well, as she had developed a hernia from the life altering cancer surgery. A hernia which no doctor, to this day, has ever been brave enough to remove due to her obesity. As a result, she is no longer able to walk long distances in continual stints and needs to take a break every once in a while, and sometimes needs assistance going up steep hills, which occurred a lot whilst we were trekking Morocco. Since this was a last-minute trip, we booked affordable flights due to budget constraints. We tend to live on a YOLO mentality; good for experiences, not so much on the wallet. My mum flew with one airline carrier and I flew with a variety of airline carriers, to ensure that I travelled via the cheapest route possible. After several hours of traveling across continents, we finally met in Casablanca.  From then on our trip was full of adventure. We were learning new traditions and customs, and like the film we were gaining a better understanding about ourselves each passing day. Along the way we met an assortment of different people, varying from traveling couples with a new-born baby, a large travelling family consisting of fifteen or more people, a wondrous soul, siblings traveling together, and mother-daughter duos who were on a similar physical and mental journey that we were on. The trip, surprisingly, ended up being the kind of backpacking trip I had always wanted to partake with my close mates. Sadly our trip came to a close and our departure date arrived, we gathered our belongings and headed to the airport so we could go our separate ways via different flight connections. My mum had to go back home, and I had prearranged a mini birthday celebration in Paris before going back home for the holidays. Once we arrived to the check in desk, I requested RAMP assistance for my mum to make her travel experience easier since she was already spent from the weeks of travel. A request that ended up turning our departure day into a nightmare. This one simple request raised questions about my mothers’ health, which snowballed into the decision that my mum was subsequently barred from her flight. As you can imagine I was distraught. My flight to Paris was leaving in just a few short hours and my mum had no way of boarding her flight. My mum who simply wanted a recovery-celebration-vacation would be stranded alone in a foreign country, if I boarded my flight. Since our trip was so last minute, I forgot to remind the banks we were going out of country and to top it off I forgot to pull cash out the cash point before leaving the hotel. All rookie mistakes I know, but lessons learned, nonetheless. I went into full panic mode (it resembled the five stages of grief really) and within an hour I eventually arrived to the final stage: acceptance. I accepted that my mums’ airline, for whatever reason DID NOT want my mum on their flight and had made it impossible for her to board. I had four hours before my flight was to depart and due to the time difference back home had no time to arrange alternative routes. Did I mention it was a holiday? With what felt like a full deck of cards stacked against me, I had to make a Miracle in the Airport happen and quickly. Then I had an epiphany and a plan was hatched  If I could get my mum on my flight to Paris, which with a different airline carrier, we could meet in Paris and then go on our separate ways. This would buy some time whilst businesses opened, and funds were released into my account again.
What I realized on that trip (more than the multitude of trips I have taken with my mum) is the power of a mother’s sacrifice. My mum fought tooth and nail to avoid boarding the Paris flight and leaving me by myself without a ticket in hand. She wanted to stay in airport in Morocco until she could get a flight, an idea I refused profusely. In the end I was forced to lie to my mum so she would board the flight. Once the changes were made and my mum left on the flight to Paris, I contacted United for the next available flight. My only hope and my last chance to get out the country was with an airline that I usually avoid booking. The service is great; however, the prices don’t agree with my wallet at times. Nevertheless, United Mileage Plus came through and I was on the red-eye flight to Pairs via the Star Alliance Partnership. After returning from Morocco, my mum had a renewed desire to go back to school to pursue her law degree. The trip as well as her big birthday, gave her pep in her step to continue living and to fully pursue her future. Long conversations with admission clerks and a daunting registration process followed; however, after month long communications she’s finally enrolled for her degree which would allow her to pursue her career in law by becoming a law student. Fast-forward to the present day and my mum’s tenacity is still going strong. Anything she sets her mind to, she accomplishes. Most of the times she brings her kids along for the ride. At the end of each journey we are able to look back and realize how much she has taught us in the process. For me the trip to Morocco was definitely one of these journeys. As for what ended up happening in Paris? I arrived the day before my birthday. I met up with my mum and managed to spend the day with her at Le Tour Eiffel, it was one of the best birthdays I have experienced. Mercí mama. Mercí pour tout. Mercí beacoup. Click here to read more of her adventures. #MothersDay #EiffelTower #SundayReads #WildIsadora #Isadoraland This article is not sponsored by any of the aforemention companies, nor does it reflect the views of the companies mentioned or any members of the Star Alliance or represents the member's of the Star Alliance in anyway. All effort has been made by the writer of this blog for the authenticity of the information herein about the situations herein listed.
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