When people mention that I'm fiery.
You know, just have a lot of passion.
I say I get it from my mom.
I think everything good I have
is because of you
and things that you've taught
me and lessons that you've given me.
We really are a good mother daughter team
and anything you ever need, you know,
there's breath in my body.
You know,
please ask and I'll do everything I can.
I've always been proud
to have you in my life,
and to get to call you my step mom.
My mom always used to tell me that- well, Nana and Pap
both used to say that
being a parent
is like having your heart
outside of your body,
walking around unprotected.
And that is so true.
Why do you love me?
Oh, I love you.
Because you're my firstborn.
You're my game changer.
My life changer.
Suck it siblings.
I think
you inspire me to be a better person.
And I just see you as this ray of light
like you are my sunshine in life
when I think
maybe I haven't done a good job or
you know,
I don't feel that great.
I can only look at you
and look at the decisions you're making
and know I have had some kind of positive
input in, like,
I didn't do a horrible job
at being a parent.
I love you because you are a part of me.
You know,
as much as I have another parent,
you know,
who's like half of me biologically and,
you know, I've character
traits from him, too.
It's like
I see so much of how I act in you,
you know, like how much I get from you.
And just how much I look up to you.
And that's
what makes me love
you is just who you are.
How do you love me?
How? With every fiber in my body.
I feel like I love you by
I want to be around you
and showing you that I
support
what you do.
I think well, the way that I love you
is by listening to you
because I always want you
to feel heard, you know,
because that matters to me.
What makes us family?
Oof. What makes us family?
I don't- I don't know how
to put it in words.
It's just hard, you know,
and
not only because you're
my husband's kids, you know,
family is not
being blood
related at all times, you know.
I definitely do-
I very much
appreciate
everything that you've done for me
growing up.
And I- that
it never would have ever crossed my mind
for me to tell you.
You're not my mom.
That's just- it's mean.
And you have done so much for me
and you've done so much for my brother
and my dad. And my mom.
I love you.
I love you, too.
I love you so much.
Thank you.
If this were to be our last conversation,
what's something
you'd never want me to forget?
Oh, wow.
Just that you belong.
That you're
a part
of our family,
that you are our family, that
I never want you to forget
that you have roots
that are really strong
and deep and beautiful,
and that your birth family
has beautiful pieces to it.
So if this was our last conversation,
I would want you to know
that you are loved
in the mightiest of ways
that you're a
through and through.
But we also love your roots too.
Okay.
What would you want me to know?
A lot.
But if I can narrow it down,
I'd say that
no matter what people say,
no matter how hard
people might want to change that,
you'll always be my mom.
And that I'll never
not see as that
in any shape or form. Nothing can
alter that
opinion to me
because it's not an opinion.
It's true.
If this were to be our last conversation,
what's one thing
you never want me to forget?
- Huh.
I would say that
it frustrates me a lot when
like,
we have a disagreement and you're like,
I get it.
You think I'm the dumbest person ever.
Like, you hate me and stuff
when you know that's not true.
And it's just
it just, like,
frustrates me because it's kind of like
I feel like a cop out
for you to just kind of, like,
push both of us away
so I would say
it'd be that, like,
I never really hated you.
Not even at my worst.
So
Thanks for saying that,
because, you know, lately I think,
you know, you're right.
Maybe you're right.
Maybe it is like a cop out
because I don't know how to
understand what your needs are.
When I go
what's up?
And you go, nothing.
So
the thought of
this being our last conversation, it's
always a thought in my mind.
That's why it makes me emotional, right?
And during these COVID things.
Right?
I almost died a couple of times there
with the whole COVID thing.
And so, yeah,
the thought that
ran through my mind was
I did well
and that
it felt okay if I exited the planet.
But
I don't- I don't want to
I want to be in your life.
You know?
I know, I know.
I'll keep to myself.
And even if you text me
instead of calling me every day,
you know, I'll be like, yay.
Did you suck your teeth?
What kind of question is this?
That means you gonna cry again?
If this was our last conversation,
- Oh, hell. - What's one thing
you never want me to forget?
Oh, gosh.
That you are so loved.
And
yeah, you're created with love.
You are
just this beautiful man
exactly how you are right now.
And
and all you have to do is ask for my help
if I'm no longer here
and I'll be
one of those angels,
one of your ancestors helping
you and I'm always going to be there
like the shirt on your body.
If you need me, when you need me
and then even when you don't,
but I'm gonna be as close
as you- as you need or want.
And you are
perfect exactly how you are
right now.
And I love you in this world
and all the worlds to come
yeah.
I love you, too.
Thank you.
So you answered the question.
Ask me.
Did I-?
Oh, wow. Oh, thank you.
If this were to be
your last conversation,
what's one thing you never want me
to forget?
I never want you to forget of course
that I love you.
Yeah. - And that...
That. I know that.
You gave me everything you possibly could
in terms of love and support
and that I'm
eternally grateful for-
To have inherited so much of your
your Victoria-ness.
That-
Sometimes I complain about it.
Sometimes I, you know.
Celebrate, maybe?
Yeah, I mean,
I feel like I celebrate it
to other people
more than I celebrate with you. - Yeah.
Because you have such a strength
that is so unmatched
and that I call upon and often
through tough times. And that
is just
something that you can't really learn
which is that
even though I
I don't always tell you
that those are good parts of you,
you know, you're fiery.
This especially is directed towards
me, but is such a is such a thing
that is one of my favorite parts
about you,
especially now that I see it to myself.
And I'm able to understand it
and utilize it in a powerful way.
And just that power that I feel like you
you've given me
to allow me
to operate and create
and to advocate for other people
that are around, whether it's at work
or whether it's in
relationships or friendships that-
I'm like: wow. I got that from my mom.