Sunday, May 10, 2015

Visiting Mother on Mother’s Day

One of my brothers-in-law will leave his immediate family today to visit his Mother, less than an hour’s drive from his home. He’ll leave his wife behind to be attended to by their children on this Mother’s Day. His wife, the mother of his children, is not his Mother so he takes leave to honor his own in person. It is indeed Mother’s Day in the United States and many other countries, and a day for children to honor their Mother, though that should be the case every day.

My Mother passed away nearly eight years ago, but memories of her remain with me in spirit and in belongings. For instance, her baby grand Steinway which she played wonderfully for most of her life sits in our living room, and, on the wall next to the piano is a photo of her when she was a student at Meredith College in 1940. There are remembrances of Mom everywhere in our home. Thoughts of her and her impact on me move me to seek the physical remembrances and seeing the physical pushes my mind to consider my life when she was physically with us.

Visiting my Mom after leaving home for college in 1970 was not as often as it should have been. For most, the bond between mother and child is usually stronger than that between father and child, especially when growing up Mom was at home while Dad worked all day and was businesslike upon his return in the evenings. But, there were plenty of visits to see Mom, especially after Dad passed away in 1997. She loved to see her children arrive, to talk about family and to consider daily issues of government, politics and upkeep of the yard. She was always upbeat in her conversations.

Mother’s Day in the United States is one of the busiest for the telephone providers. Just prior to the special day, Hallmark shops are ultra-crowded, and florists see an up-tick in orders, especially long distance, delivery orders. Restaurants are busy as great grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers and mothers-to-be are rewarded with an over-priced meal will being joined by great grandchildren, grandchildren, and children in tow by the dad of the family.

Above all the flowers, cards, phone calls and meals, most mothers want just one thing. They want the door bell to ring, and when they open the door, they want to see their children standing there, smiling and telling mom of their love and thanking her for all she has done for them. It takes an effort for many children to travel to see their mother on Mother’s Day, but it’s the one day of the year that many mothers would prefer their children to be in her home. My mother-in-law is lucky to have that son who visits her every Mother’s Day. And he is lucky to have his Mother to visit.
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Dictionary.com word of the day
frabjous (adjective) [frab-juh s] wonderful, elegant, superb

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