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
Thanks Jim. Same here!
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