When we started getting close again my mother lived three hours away, so I couldn't just go see her whenever I wanted. She lived in Lawton, I lived in Broken Arrow.  I would call her as often as I could, but I only saw her every few weeks. The only reason I wanted to reach out again was because she was getting clean, so I started trusting her again. I hated saying goodbye, and I was scared I wouldn't see her for months at a time. When she got into rehab, we weren’t allowed to contact her for ninety days while she detoxed, and don’t ask me how, but we managed to make it work.

Being away from my mom was hard, I missed her often, but I knew it was for her own good. She was getting better. Mom was getting clean, she was trying to be better for her kids, for me.  When we could see her, she looked so much healthier; she was the mom I remembered, and I loved it. It was Thanksgiving that day, and the only thing I was grateful for that year was my mom came back into my life. Mom was the person I remember- the mom who would listen to my rants about my latest interests. When I asked what made her decide to get sober she said, “You, baby girl. You made me realize I was making the wrong choices.” When those words left her mouth, I couldn’t believe it- she was getting clean for me.  I asked what she heard the most when she and the other girls in rehab would get together, her answer was “We do recover.” I took those three words to heart. I was getting my mom back with three words, “We do recover.”

I was so proud when my mom graduated rehab. I didn’t believe that she completed the course, but she surprised me. When we got there, I ditched my brothers and grandparents to go hug my mom. I actually cried during her graduation, and apparently, I also made Mom cry. We knew then that our relationship was going to be okay. We started spending more time together and realized we enjoy a lot of the same things. I even spent weekends at her house, and we’d watch TV for hours before bed.

Very recently, we had a girls’ weekend. We got our nails done and went to get japchae, a very popular Korean dish more commonly known as ‘glass noodles’. We planned to do it every time I was at her house. She still lives in Lawton, but we call as often as possible. Mom and I always try to talk about positive things, but we also talk about a few sad things sometimes. We’re a bit silly, but we make it work.

While my mom still lives in Lawton, we are closer than ever before. This goes to show the love between a mother and forgiving daughter. I may not see Mom often, but we know the other is only a phone call away. That’s all for now.