A Beautiful Gift | Teen Ink

A Beautiful Gift

April 29, 2009
By Renee Arostegui BRONZE, New Orleans, Louisiana
Renee Arostegui BRONZE, New Orleans, Louisiana
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

What does it mean to be amazing? Is it being the best at everything you do? Is it the ability to stand out from everyone else and be the most talented in life? Personally, I think that we all have the ability to be amazing. In my opinion, to be amazing is to reach one’s highest potential and become the person one is meant to be in his or her life. It is listening to one’s heart and living a life of significance to others and oneself. I believe that my mother, Jeanne, is an amazing woman because she is determined, selfless, and loving.

One of the characteristics that makes my mom amazing is the fact that she is determined. I remember one time she decided to put a new toilet into our bathroom all by herself, and my dad told her to hire a plumber because it would be extremely hard. However, she was born to take on challenges, and she completed the task effortlessly. Her determination helped her to get that toilet into the ground, and her determination is shown consistently throughout everything she does in her life. Setting an example with her ongoing determination, my mom has always been an easy person to look up to. Another time that I recall my mom’s determined attitude is when we were throwing a New Years Eve party and she decided to paint the kitchen the day of the party. After the first attempt to paint the room, the coloring was nice, but it was not anything spectacular. My mom was determined to get the perfect color, and not only did she paint the entire kitchen a second time, but a third time as well. A couple of hours before the party after my dad, brother,













and I thought she had created a disaster, we walked into the kitchen to find the most gorgeous mint green color painted on the walls. When I saw everyone at the party complimenting her about the room, I knew that if I could have just half of the determination that my mom does, I would be happy.

Another quality that makes my mom amazing is the fact that she is selfless. My father states, “Jeanne is selfless and tireless when it comes to providing for me and our children” (Roberto interview). Always thinking of others during Christmas, my mom only thinks about giving presents to everyone around her. Spending a lot of time purchasing gifts for many family and friends, she never once thinks about herself. My mom will often tell my dad, brother, and I that she does not want anything for Christmas or Mother’s Day. When I was a small child and I would hear her say that, I used to think she was crazy; however, as I grew older it just became another thing I greatly admire about her. Preparing warm, home-cooked meals almost everyday of the week, my mom never worries about the portions that she gets. Usually worrying about my brother, dad, and I getting enough to eat, she asks us if we want seconds before she even makes her first plate. Sometimes it seems like everything she does is for me and my brother, and she puts her family before herself every single day of her life. It is not an infrequent selflessness, and the sacrifices that she makes for the people she loves are indescribable. When I think about being selfish or self-seeking, I think about my mom, and her benevolent, selfless heart inspires me to become a better person.

Finally, the most important characteristic that makes my mother amazing is that she is loving. I do not think that I have gone a day in my life without hearing my mom tell me that she loves me. Loving with one of the biggest hearts anyone could ask for, my mom is an affectionate,












caring woman that does anything for the people she loves in her life. She possesses a friendly,
open personality that is completely effortless to fall in love with. When my grandmother, my mom’s mother, became ill, my mom became the bravest, most strong woman I have ever witnessed. With her unconditional love and affection for my grandma, my mom managed
to take care of her mother for almost a year. When we evacuated for Hurricane Katrina, she was often calling doctors, calling clinics, and making a lot of arrangements. Out of my grandma’s children, my mom became the leader and did not just take care of my grandma by dealing with doctors and treatments. I firmly believe that spending almost everyday with her daughter strengthened my ill grandmother simply because my mom’s loving heart has a way of shining radiantly throughout the mere presence of her warm smile. I pray that I can love the way that my mother does.

We are all fully capable to be as amazing as we choose. To be amazing can be seen as a goal or a dream that we can all wish to obtain for ourselves and others. When I think of an amazing woman, my mom is the immediate thought in my head, and I can not imagine where I would be without her. She is the epitome of not only an amazing woman, but an amazing wife and mother. She is determined. She is selfless. She is loving. She is simply, completely, and utterly…amazing.


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