Tyler "Telle" Smith of the Word Alive on cherishing your loved ones
I planned on writing about a different subject for this blog, however I received a phone call from my aunt last night who told me my mom was admitted to the hospital. I'm currently waiting on the results from her MRI, so hopefully by next week I will have great news. Hearing about this put a few things into perspective: First, life truly is short. You never know when your time is up or when you're never going to get another chance to tell someone how you feel. Second, I realized just how vitally important my mom and dad were in helping me get to where I am at this point in my life.
My mom and dad split up when I was five, but they both were very determined to give my brothers and me the best life we could have. My brothers and I are very close no matter how many miles separate us, and for that I'm very grateful. My mom worked as a traveling nurse for many years while we were growing up. She made sure we had all that we needed, and as often as she could, things we wanted. I remember my mom would save up just to make sure I had new basketball shoes each year before tryouts. Little things like that shows that moms always find a way to provide.
As I grew older, I went through my teenage angst years of “You're annoying, you don't know anything about me.” Now that time period in my life seems quite silly. One thing I've learned about my parents is that they are almost always right (Shh, don't tell them I said that!). After high school, I disappointed my parents pretty badly for a little while. Seeing the look on their faces was enough for me to know I never wanted to let that happen again.
That's when I started pursuing music and decided that my dream would become a reality. Shortly after that, my mom moved back to California to start a new job. In May of 2007, I got in a car and started driving to southern California. I called my mom and told her I needed to get away and that Ohio had become somewhat of a black hole for me. I loved my hometown, but after high school, I did the “hanging out with the wrong crowd” thing and all of my friends were going nowhere—including myself. I wanted more for my life, so I left. She welcomed me with open arms and supported me in every way. Thinking back, whether it was sports or art or even girls, my mom supported me. She would always give me advice and her opinion. She would always get to know as much as possible about what I was interested in, and I think that's what a great parent should do. Many of you have probably seen my dad post on facebook or some article before, and I'm forever in awe of how much my parents love me.
My parents gave me all the tools I needed to succeed. They showed me love, taught me to pursue my dreams, work hard and be thankful for any benefits that would come my way. Now, sitting on our tour bus staring out the front window as I type, I wonder where I would be today if I had parents who cared even half as much as mine do. Probably not here. I hope whatever is going on with my mom can be resolved, and I can't wait to call her and tell her how appreciative I am. I want to remind you to make sure that whoever the person in your life who pushes you to be the best you possibly can be, knows you are grateful for them being in your life.
In the words of a Yoda meme I read: “Only once, you live.” Make the most of it. Remember where you came from and who helped you be the person you are today. You never know when you'll be able to let them know again.
