This is my 40th anniversary of not being able to celebrate Mother’s Day with my mom, not being able to tell her how much I loved her and appreciated all the good parenting she did. I only remember one Mother’s Day gift I gave her – a pot of violets I dug up from the backyard. I’m pretty sure I could do better today.
The best piece of advice I got from my mom was, “Be yourself.” I’ve tried. The best trait was probably her creativity. The worst trait was maybe her passivity. Like her, I am very slow to anger – which can be a bad thing if you let people take advantage of you.
I have missed my mom every day for 40 years. Such is the impact of our mothers. If your mom is still alive, appreciate her while you can. And if your mom has also passed on, I share in your sorrow but wish you a day of good memories. I have to go to the grocery store this morning and I’m thinking right now about how we used to walk to the A&P with her to help carry bags back. Paper bags. Her rule of thumb was that we should get $5 of groceries per bag. And then I’d complain about how heavy they were in the 2/10th of a mile home. Sorry about that Mom.