Together

When I decided to pursue a job in television I knew I’d have to make some sacrifices. No holidays, no lunch breaks and moving far from home, just to name a few. My recent move to Cincinnati has put me even farther from home with a three-hour time difference. You could say I value the time I do get to spend with my family and friends much more because it’s so limited.

Last week my mom took a long weekend trip to visit. I was excited to be able to show off Cincinnati, since the last time she was here we spent it looking at the walls of my apartment, fixing it up. Now I was ready to take her outside.

It rained everyday she was here. My mom also acquired a cold. Luckily the weather and my mom’s illness didn’t stop us from doing what Wopschall girls do best, shopping. (‘Tis the season, right?) We bought some Christmas gifts and ate our way through town.

I did manage to take my mom to the Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo and to see the movie Theory of Everything, both of which were fantastic!

My relationship with my mom is complicated. We have had some bad years together, full of growing pains and heartache. Those years though, don’t come close to outweighing all the joys and moments of pure happiness that have come from the times shared together. We’ve sung karaoke on top of our living room table and spent long hours gossiping and sharing stories together.

It’s cliché but my mom is my biggest fan. Really though. She gets up at 5:00 a.m. on the weekends to watch my morning live shots online. She is my greatest confidant. She has the biggest heart and constantly gives. Not just to me and my sister, but to everyone she meets. Sometimes I worry she isn’t giving enough to herself.

I miss my mom already, and it’s not because we were sight seeing or shopping, because truthfully I can do just as much damage shopping alone as I can with her. It was purely the fact that she was here and sometimes that’s all that matters. Being. Together.