Remembering My Mom on Mother’s Day
My mother lives in heaven now. I hope your mom lives on
earth, and if you are fortunate, she lives near you. Mine left Earth thirty-five
years ago, and I miss her every day.
Other than a faint resemblance, we are nothing alike.
This petite lady loved vanilla ice cream and ate it every
day. I’d tease her and say, “Try one with pecans in it.” She’d respond, “Why? I
like this one.” No matter her diet, she weighed one hundred pounds to the day
she died. She ate anything and everything. As for me? I work hard to keep from gaining, and most of the time,
I don’t succeed.
She was famous for her meals. And boy, oh boy, do I wish
for those. I wish you could sit at her table and enjoy smothered steak, gravy,
creamed potatoes, corn cut from the cob, slathered in butter, and fresh snapped
green beans. Top off the meal with banana pudding for dessert. And those
chicken and dumplings? Fried pies? Oh my. Delicious memories.
I hate meal preparations, and it shows in my cooking
attempts. Even when I follow her recipes, my dishes don’t taste like hers. Some
people can cook and others can’t. I’m in the “can’t” section.
She also baked and kept goodies on hand. Her Devil’s Food
cake was beautiful. I buy cake mixes and hope for something similar. It’s not
anywhere near the same.
Mom refused to read or pray in public and often declined to
attend a Bible study for fear she’d be called upon to do so. Such things are
normal for me. She bragged on my speaking abilities, and I boasted about her
cooking and managerial skills.
Our relationship was like oil and water. She wanted to
cling to me, and I ran like a maniac toward independence.
I’m thankful we spent the last ten years of her life in
harmony. We truly loved each other and came to admire our differences.
Stepmoms and adopted moms hold special places in the lives of
children. Their kids were born before they met them. Applaud them for loving
the child from another woman’s body.
Let’s not forget the unsung heroes. Teachers who work with
kids each day, and others like our daughter who care for the hurting, abandoned
little guys. Aunts. Grandmothers.
Authors who write children’s books. Women play an important role in the lives of children.
All Women influence children.
I hope each of you ladies have a wonderful Mother's Day.
