She cried when she saw me

I haven't seen my mom in about a month or so.  She's just been busy, or I have, and our schedules just haven't jived.  When she walked into my house this afternoon, her first words to me, in her Filipino accent, were, "Oh my god, Kath ..."  At first I thought it was her reacting to what I was wearing - dark gray sweat pants with the words Old Navy in pink sewn in on the side of the left leg and a black tank top.  It was revealing my arms in all their glory and I was a little self-conscious of that, I must admit.  Her reaction was not about that, though.  It was about how small I've gotten.  She started to cry.  I knew they were tears of a mother, having wanted this for such a long time, for her little girl.  It has always pained her to see me heavier and I know she just wants me to be healthy and happy.  She told me that I'm beautiful and I have to say I felt so loved in that moment, from a mother who couldn't always show it or had a hard time expressing herself.  Our relationship hasn't always been easy, but we've both grown so much, especially over the last few years.  These are moments as I go through this process that I won't forget.