Today is Mother's Day. I'm one of the lucky ones. I still have my mom.
She is doing her Christian ministry of helping out at the radio station and
singing later at her church today. We already sat aside some time this weekend
to be together. I picked out a special card depicting a little child smearing
paint all over the walls, which made her tear up. Not that I was that bad of a
child. Really, I wasn't. But she did play "let's remember" and brought up a few
of my finer moments of childlike behavior. I gave her a little something that I
hope will be practical as a gift. She liked it. And here in just a little while
she should be calling me and letting me know that she is up, off and on her way.
She won't get back from her religious activities until after I have gone to
bed in preparation for my work week ahead. Not bad for a gal who just turned 79
in March. I'll call her tomorrow on my lunch break to see how her day went and
find out how she's doing. Her church activities keep her going. Those
actives wear her out now, but for her it all is truly a labor of love. Only now
it takes a couple of days of rest to recuperate from her busy weekends.
I can play "remember when," too. This weekend my mind has gone back in time
to when my mother was pregnant with my little brother. I was
still small and my older brother was six years my senior. My brother and I
always had toy soldiers and plastic Cowboys and Indians. Tons of them. How many
times we reenacted the Battle of the Little Big Horn or the battles of World War
ll, I've no away of recalling. But I do recall one activity we enjoyed during my
mom's pregnancy. It was his idea. He would take a book while our mom was resting
on the couch and lay it on her belly. Upon that we would balance one or more
of our soldiers or plastic Cowboys and Indians. Then we would wait for our
unborn brother to move around and "kick" the book, knocking the soldiers over.
The three of us always had great fun with this. My earliest memories of Mom were
just like this one. Memories of her being a doting mother to her children. That
was what it was always about for her.
You know the great thing? My mother is still the same person I always
remember her being. I celebrate this day with her and in her honor, with all the
sweet memories which are too numerous to recount here. She nurtured her children
back in the days of breast feedings and cloth diapers, and instilled in each of
us a sense of decency and compassion that served as the cornerstones of our
lives.
That book ritual of mine and my brother's seems as vivid in my mind as
yesterday's sunrise. My older brother has passed away now (I thought it would
kill Mom), my younger brother is still kicking as hard as ever, and I'm intent
on making the most of whatever life still holds for us. The past guides us
still.
6 comments:
I am very pleased that your apostasy did not drive a wedge between you and your mother. Must be a worry for her though.
Thanks for that poignant read. You have much better recall of your childhood than I do.
@ Exrelayman,
My mother's love for her children is such that even had one of us been a murderer she would have loved us still (she would have disapproved, to be sure, but she would have loved us and stood by us).
My mother's formal education is quite limited. She is one of the folks who can still find a more or less literal interpretation of the Bible credible. I think she doesn't understand the issues involved, knows practically nothing about alternative religions, and at this late stage in the game, I think there is a limit to how far she is willing to go challenging her viewpoints.
She wishes I would "come back" to the old religion. But she mostly just prays for that now.
Love my Mom. She's 91 and has slowed considerably, but still gets around very well, still drives (I worry), and still is exactly as she's always been; a loving, caring Mom....
@ Don,
That's great. And we both are lucky. My mom still drives and does quite well with it. But I keep a close eye for mental slippage. So far she seems as sharp as she ever was. She's a bit repetitive at times with what she's saying, but heck, I do that myself!
Very sweet. loved the game you played with your brothers. Hope my boys will remember the fun along with all the fights they have.
@ DoOrDoNot,
You know what? I'm sure they will.
Post a Comment