Small Honor, Huge Impact

Last week, the school my mom taught at for 20+ years had their end-of-year student award luncheon. And I've been struggling to write about it since the day of.

My mom was a job coach at this local school. She helped students with disabilities by taking them to and from their jobs and overseeing their day-to-day tasks at their job sites. My mom worked as a job coach until her forced retirement due to sickness in 2023. Her time was spent at a local animal rescue with her students and many furry friends. I wonder now if she ever felt like she was really working.

Her school chose to honor her by creating an award in her name—the Pat Moser Award, "Be Kind to Animals," which was awarded to a student who exhibited many of the same qualities my mom had, including a love for animals.

The school invited my Dad to attend and extended the invitation to me and my sisters. Three of us were able to attend, and I FaceTimed the fourth one in California so she could be part of it, too.

It's something that feels so small. I've struggled writing about it because it feels like such a small action, something not worthy of an entire blog post, but also, it totally is, and I want a permanent spot somewhere where I can remember how special this day felt. This award and the kindness shown by her former co-workers meant the world to me, and I know my family as well. I had a moment where I smiled to myself, reading the ceremony pamphlet, thinking, "Wow, my mom is never going to believe this. She has an award named after her. I can't wait to tell her." Another note to add to my ongoing list for her.

I know the impact my mom has had on me and my family. Seven months after her passing and a few days after Mother's Day, hearing her impact on that school, the program, and the students was a gift. We heard stories about her with animals that we didn't even know happened before. The one thing we all know though is her kindness, compassion, patience, and unwavering love for all things furry…feathered…scaly… yes, even slimy (there was a snake she saved at some point), was felt in the program and is missed every day - by them and by us.