Five hours and 48 minutes in the car has really taken a toll on our energy, the sun beating down on the hot black tar and highway lines. We pull up behind the old light pole with the "Slow: Children at Play" sign nailed into the cracking wood. Immediately we get out of the shiny blue Subaru and make a bee-line for the wooden picket fence where she'll be waiting for us.

We walk in and take a seat in the grass of the small yard, after saying our cliche hugs and hellos like the beginning of a Lifetime movie.

"Better get looking!" exclaims my aunt as we find our own patch of green lawn.

"Oh Aunt Shayna, we both know Mom's been looking since we got here!" I reply with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

The clover patch in my aunt's yard is unlike anything I've ever seen before. From corner to corner the green blades of grass are masked by the deceiving three-leaf beauties.

"Got one!” my mom proclaims as she starts to pick a stem out of the ground.

"Yup, there she goes!! How do you do that Mom?!" I boast out to her with a puzzled, but not exactly surprised look on my face.

"I guess I'm just lucky, I could use a little bit of luck in my life…,” Mom says as she proudly shows off the four-leaf token of the Irish.

This trip especially, more than the many many others we have taken to good old South Dakota before, is important for my mom. She needs a getaway, a good escape. She’s been through alot lately and little luck is what she deserves. As hard as it is to find a four-leaf clover in a field of imposters, it’s even harder to find a Mom like her.

“So Thea, have you decided where you’re going to college yet?” This is the question I think every teenager hears from every single relative every single time they see them, or really anyone remotely close to them in general.

“Janet, don’t even bring that up! I’m just gonna have to go live with her wherever she goes, I’ll just have to!” my mom shouts at her older sister for even bringing up what my plans are for the year ahead. I know she won’t want to let me go off on my own; she’ll for sure be calling me everyday, but who am I kidding I’ll be missing her just as much.

My mom doesn’t like to think about the future; what could be in store for her. She doesn’t like to talk about it with anyone, especially me. I’m the last child at home, and if I even say the word graduation the tears come flowing down her cheeks at the thought of being on her own in just one short year.

“Yeah, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, but I haven’t really decided yet,” I answer just the same as I have answered many times prior, but the truth is I know exactly where I want to be, though much of my family would disagree and argue that I should be closer to them.

“Oh look, I got another one!” mom boasts as she yet again shows off her pick of the day, which my aunt and I must not have the required skills to find. She smiles to herself, setting the delicate clover next to the one she had picked when we first got here and continues in her search for more good luck charms.

It’s the times like these that I enjoy being with my family. My mom and I are the only ones out of a very large family who live in Montana, and sometimes it’s very hard to be away from them. A getaway to where she grew up is always a treat, and towards the end of the usually weekend trips, it is pretty difficult to say goodbye, though I do love my home, even if things are different now.

Ever since my dad left, it’s been weird around the house, empty walls where family pictures used to hang; a bare closet in the back bedroom. I know it has been over half a year already, but things are still processing for mother and me, and it’s been tough trying to adapt to this new way of life. She’s always been there for me though, making sure I’m alright and that I don’t miss out on any of those fun senior things I am supposed to do my last year of high school.

I’ve watched my mom go through some very hard times these past months, and seeing her keep on going and become a stronger person has made me realize that no matter what storms come pouring down on us in life, everything is going to be alright.

Because of her and the challenges we have had to face together, I am a stronger on the inside, and have learned how to deal with many types of emotions. I am more independent and can stand on my own. She’s made me realize it is okay to not be like everyone else, and have a different life than what a typical person is expected to. Nobody has a “normal” life, and I’m realizing that now; everyone is fighting their own battle. It is a great thing to be unique, and nothing to be ashamed of; after all, the four-leaf clovers are the odd ones out, but they are the ones people find the most valuable.