We have all had that moment, haven't we? When we flopped into our rooms, slammed ourselves down on our beds and said those fateful words: When I grow up, I'll never _______ ...words that reverberate over and over in us after we have kids...finally to be repented of completely when those kids become teenagers.
Consider this post the opposite of that temper tantrum. These are some of the things I remember about my mom. But whether by DNA or temperament, or simply because the way we live life has changed, most of this list of things will not be a part of the legacy I leave my girls! But they are things that I treasure when I think of my mom.
- Hearing the on again, off again hum of the Kenmore sewing machine at night while I drifted off to sleep.
- Watching her sew tiny, tiny arms on outfits for my Barbies...just like the ones in the store. No, even better, because sometimes they matched my clothes!
- Making snow ice cream shortly after the first flakes of winter fell.
- Hanging up laundry on the line and running through the sheets. Knowing from the look on her face, she really didn't want me to do it, but smiling at the fun I was having.
- Holding the hymnal while her finger ran across the words.
- Feeling her stroke my hair as I lay on the pew with my head in her lap.
- Hearing those hymns again and again as she softly sang while she worked.
- Watching her hands, strong and sure, as she planted in the garden.
- Watching her face as the day's cares washed away as she watered each night.
- Grinning, half embarrassed, half delighted, as I watch her enter a room bopping and swaying to some tune in her head.
- The girl-like grin that crossed her face when I told her that "nobody" called today.
- The smell of cookies and the sight of all the sprinkles and candy beads on the kitchen counters at Christmas time.
- The look on her face anytime she thought about Christmas!
- The soft slide of yarn as she crocheted everything from blankets to pot holders to stockings to shoes.
- Seeking out her face in the crowd from the stage...feeling so proud in my bright, new dress that she made just for me.
- Finally finding her eyes and watching her smile get a little larger at me.
- The sureness of her hand in mine as we would walk across the busy street to get my brother from school.
- The bone-deep certainty I have always had in knowing I was hers...I was loved...I was home when I was with her.
How deep the Father's love for me, to give me my mama.
I love you, Mama.
Happy Mother's Day.
1 comment:
Thank you sweet one! I am laughing & crying; such fun memories. You just learning to pull up & standing between my legs, crying, while I was washing dishes because I couldn't hold you at the same time. Rocking you in the middle of the night & loving that special time alone. Walking the floor when you had ear aches. Worrying about you being so small cause you could not drink milk products. Being amazed as you grew that I had YOU ~ so smart, so sure of yourself, knowing exactly where you wanted to go in life~New York! How excited you were to tell me about your "Wayne"; when you called to tell me I was going to be a Nana & I was in shock! I love you so; Thank you for this very special Mother's Day!
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