Help Me Write a T-Shirt Dedication

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Mom is the strongest and smartest woman I know.

Mom lived through an abusive and disaffectionate childhood to meet my father, to whom she has been married for over 35 years. She was a caring, creative and disciplined stay-at-home mom to me and my brother, while at the same time earning her Master’s degree in library science. She worked as a librarian for the U.S. Army for ten years, then switched careers and worked as a computer programmer for another six years. Since then she’s been a night stocker at Wal-Mart, a telemarketing manager for a satellite company and is now a middle school teacher.

As a kindergartner I missed her so much that for the first week, I would sneak away during lunchtime and run home.

As an adolescent, we clashed. She was unpredictable and would fly into frightening, unreasonable rages. My rebellious teenager attitude didn’t help matters. To be blunt, I thought she was just a crazy bitch. After I left home and got married, I would tell people that I hated her.

Then, in 1991, a miracle happened. Mom got sober. Ever since, she has attended at least one Alcoholics Anonymous meeting a week. Many heart-to-hearts and crying sessions later, I know a lot more about her, including the fact that my adolescense happened to unfortunately collide with the height of her alcoholism.

Mom’s courage and determination have made it possible for me to call her a mentor and a friend today. Mom’s ability to do anything she sets her mind has been inspiration to me in the pursuit of my goals. Mom’s fallibility and love of learning taught me that no one is perfect and continue to remind me to constantly strive for knowledge.

I love my mom; I’m so proud of her. In her honor, I have decided to dedicate my first marathon to her. I have an 8" by 8" piece of white Tyvek upon which to write my dedication, which I will safety pin to the back of my shirt this Saturday at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota.

My idea:

MY FIRST MARATHON
FOR YOU, MOM
11+ YEARS SOBER
I LOVE YOU

Basic, but it gets the idea across, I think…

Anyone have a better idea? Needs to be pretty concise and large enough to her read from the sidelines. She’s driving up from Texas with Dad as we speak.

2

Uh, in all honesty I wouldn’t put anything on your T-Shirt that stated that your mother had a drinking problem.

How about:

MY FIRST MARATHON
FOR YOU, MOM
I LOVE YOU

3

I’m with JohnT on the sobriety…what about something like:

MY FIRST MARATHON
FOR MOM
MY INSPIRATION TO
DO THINGS I NEVER
THOUGHT POSSIBLE

<or>

FOR MOM
26 MILES IS EASY
COMPARED TO WHAT
YOU’VE DONE

Maybe those are too long, but something like that–the idea that you’re proud of her accomplishments just as she’s proud of you accomplishing the marathon?

4

Thanks, guys - those are some great suggestions.

Your thoughts about leaving information about sobriety off made me wonder what she would want. She’s pretty vocal about her recovering alcoholic state.

5

You’re making me all misty, Gazelle.

She should be proud of her sobriety. There are many people for whom this is a daily struggle. There’s no shame in being a recovering alcoholic. She should be proud of being able to recognize her problem and then acting on it.

That said, Lily’s second suggestion seems like a great idea, very appropriate. Depicts both the marathon and your mom’s situation as struggles.

6

She might be vocal to those in the know, but do you think she would want you to wear a T-Shirt proclaiming this information to strangers?

Imho, discretion is the better part of valor - and I think that LilyValley’s 2nd suggestion is the best I’ve seen.

And tell your mom that the SDMB says “Congrats!” :smiley:

7

I don’t know, JohnT, and neither do you. So it’s kind of silly to assume she wouldn’t.

8

Hey JohnT… I hear what you’re saying about discretion. But haven’t you noticed how vocal people have become lately about their problems? Many people believe – as I do – that talking about illnesses goes a long way to remove stigmas associated with them. Because some people have been willing to share their struggles, alcoholism is pretty widely accepted now as a disease instead of a personality flaw.

Also, silence about addiction can be part of the problem. Enabling behavior. “Don’t say anything about Mom’s problem… pretend it doesn’t exist. Just keep the alcohol hidden…”

All this said, I don’t know how my mom would feel… I think I’ll ask her.

9

Dan: “I don’t know, JohnT, and neither do you. So it’s kind of silly to assume she wouldn’t.”

You’re right: I don’t know. That’s why I asked. :rolleyes: Given that the only info I know about the entire situation is in this thread, it was not an unreasonable question.

And where did I assume anything in regards to her feelings? Did you not see the word “might”?

Luckily, Gazelle was able to read the sentence correctly and is being discrete by asking his/her (sorry!) mother her opinion. As Gazelle should, in a matter so sensitive.

10

I’m a woman.

:smiley:

I forgot to mention another of my mother’s accomplishments: She ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 1978.

11

People have the right to talk about their own problems/addictions, but I think it’s in bad taste for someone to talk up someone else’s problem publicly. There’s a difference.

Your sentiment is lovely. Just leave out the alcohol abuse part.

12

I know she’s proud of her sobriety. She wears the the AA triangle on a necklace, another on her car, she has a bumpersticker saying “One Day at a Time,” and another bumpersticker on their RV that says, “Taking a Trip, Not Taking a Trip.”

I’ll ask her; that will settle it.

13

Yes, do leave out the alcohol abuse part. Although I can’t for the life of me think of why anyone would put anything about alcohol abuse on the t-shirt.

Recovery from alcohol abuse (an ongoing issue), on the other hand is certainly something to be proud of.

Sorry, John, your post here

seemed more of a rhetorical question, i.e. you didn’t think she should wear a t-shirt proclaiming said information.

If that’s not how you meant it, fine. That’s how it sounded to me.

14

Mom doesn’t care if I mention her sobriety but when she heard this one, Lily:

FOR MOM
26 MILES IS EASY
COMPARED TO WHAT
YOU’VE DONE

She said, “That’s the one.”

Thanks guys and especially you, Lily.

15

What about “One Block At A Time”. Those close to you will know what you’re getting at, and those who don’t, we’ll they’ll be behind you, trying to catch up close enough to read it.

16

Ahem.

So now the marathon’s over. (and yes, I checked your results online)

WE NEED A REPORT!!!