Valentine 1

Savannah Valentine
Professor Lynn Raymond
UWRT 1103-015
September 28, 2015
My Best Friend
During the course of my childhood, I have always enjoyed attending our enormous
family reunions involving food, music, and conversations with relatives I see about twice a year.
However, it is relatively easy to admit that my family claims a total of seven people, including
me, as actual family. Among these seven, I can certainly say that we all possess a unique quality
which brands our section of the family tree as colorful, or intriguing; nevertheless, there is one
member who acts as the glue binding our subdivision together. Throughout the years, this person,
who has undoubtedly become my best friend, has been there in every way imaginable for
everyone she encounters; this person, Ginger Valentine, happens to be my mother.
My mother, who stands about five-foot nine, has brown curly hair, brown eyes, and a
heart of gold. During her adolescent years, she was influenced by two mother figures, my greatgrandmother and grandmother, who aided in shaping her into the incredible mother and person
she is today. My mother enjoys reliving her glory days by telling my sister and me stories of her
childhood on Sigmon Street. In particular, my favorite story proves to be that my greatgrandmother, Ruth Cooper, used to stand in the kitchen to pick out all of the white and pink jelly
beans from the bag just because they were my mother's favorites. Although strange, this aspect of
paying close attention is the exact reason my mother used to sort the raisins out of my raisin bran
cereal every morning. This act is just a miniscule example of how blessed I am to have such an

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exceptionally devoted mother. Also, during high school, my mother maintained two jobs, one at a
nursing home and the other at a clothing store, and her academics. These responsibilities
demonstrate her ability to juggle multiple tasks at once, as well as show her determination to
create a better life for herself. During her senior year, my mother took a break from work and
went into downtown Lincolnton for the weekend. In such a small town, leisurely activities, such
as cruising, occur every weekend. After receiving a speeding ticket from a local police officer,
my mother noticed a teenage male giggling on the other side of the road. Despite not speaking to
him that night, my mother waved at this same guy for a solid year until he finally pulled her over
one random Saturday night; this admirable story happens to be the story of how my parents met.
With that being said, the love that developed over the next several months resulted in my
mothers anxious desire to get married and have children. While wedding planning, she was
unable to focus on her academics and unfortunately failed out of nursing school by one point.
She was so overwhelmed with the idea of being a mother that she chose not to attempt the whole
nursing thing again. By setting aside her own personal goals to become a nurse, my mother
reveals how selfless she is in everything she does and continues to do. Despite not reaching her
goals of becoming a nurse, she inevitably lights up with joy when telling the story of how she
and my father met, in addition to the jelly bean scenario. Conversely, out of all the qualities my
mother possesses, the optimism and delight she brings to the family is by far my favorite.
Whether she is singing Shell Be Coming around the Mountain while ironing in the morning,
or simply cracking a joke that should most likely not be repeated, she never fails to make every
member of the familys day a little brighter. The support and overwhelming happiness I have
been shown by my mother undeniably titles her as my best friend; however, the loyalty,

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selflessness, and unconditional love she conveys creates a desire for me to become at least half
the mother she is to my own kids one day.