This is from an email that Lynn sent to me, that was sent to her by a friend of ours. I'm not going to paste the whole thing, just the last part of it because it really moved me. Lynn's mother died while giving birth to her; I lost my mother 8 years ago (for that incredible story, click here). So this has special meaning for both of us and I hope it does for some of you too, especially on Mother's Day.
Your Mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she's the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you pick and perfume that she wore, she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not feeling well, she's your breath in the air on a cold winter's day. She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a rainbow, she is Christmas morning.Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop. Your mother shows every emotion...happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy and sorrow...and all the while, hoping and praying you will only know the good feelings in life. She's the place you came from, your first home, and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space...not even death.
When I gave the eulogy at my mother's funeral, I mentioned some of the things that would always remind me of her - Barbara Streisand songs, ham croquettes and eggs benedict, fish fries, the laughter of children. They still do; they always will. My mother left behind 9 children (6 biological, 1 stepdaughter and 2 adopted sons) and 19 grandchildren, not to mention a handful of "strays" that she played Mom to over the years. She lives on in each of us. Every time one of her grandkids goes fishing and baits a hook the way Grandma taught them to do, her immortality is assured. In a few weeks, we will have the entire family (plus many others) together for the first time since her funeral to celebrate a whole bunch of significant birthdays in the family (my father turns 70, one brother turns 50, another turns 45 and a third turns 35). We'll no doubt drink a toast to mom and reminisce a bit. May you all enjoy a wonderful day with your moms, if they're still alive. And if they aren't, take the time to tell your kids, or even total strangers, about her and what she meant to you. In fact, how about leaving a comment with a funny story or two about your mom? I'd love to hear them.
- Log in to post comments
More like this
What a lovely tribute to your Mother Ed, and to all Mothers.
I can only add one thing, listen to your dreams. My Mother has come to me in my dreams many times. Each time I feel her love surround me.
Thank you for posting this Ed. It means so much to me today:-)
I have more than a few stories about my Mom ,
to get a picture of my mom when i was growing up it is easiest to say she was rounder than she was tall 4`10" tall and 5 ft around (actual measurement) . so not alot of clothes fit my mother instead she always wore a MuMu . well My mom decides we are going to go see the movie "Annie" . during the song Tomorrow my mom gets up in the Isle and sings and dances to the song . needless to say i had to switch seats .... another, instance was during an Easter weekend Mom put on a bunny mask and a cotton Tail and went to the biker bar a couple blocks away to pass out easter eggs with my Aunt . about 13 yrs ago my mom had stomach staple surgery and now weighs a 3rd of what she use too .
Ed, that is a beautiful tribute to mothers. I found that email to be very touching, too. I cherish every moment I have with my mother. She is remarkable woman. I have inducted my mother into sainthood for surviving six children. With six children, she loved and respected all of us while building our individualities. My mother had a singing voice of an angel. She received a college scholarship to Juliard but married my dad instead. She always involved our lives in music and the arts. I have fond memories of her performing at school functions, singing in the church choir, singing weddings, and singing the National Anthem at the Cincinnati Reds games so her six children could go to the games. I was proud of her. My funniest memory of my mother was our camping trip out west. My dad took a month off work to take his family touring the west. We were camping in Yellowstone. The coyotes howled all night which put a lump in our throats. One night the bears were hungry. They decided to investigate our campsite. A bear was just outside the tent by mother. She screamed and yelled to my dad we were all going to die. Of course, all six kids joined in the screaming. lol The bear took no notice of the eight lunatics screaming in the tent as it made off with our cooler of food. But my mom protected us with her mighty voice. hehehehe
My mom died a long time ago, lived a surprising and productive life for someone born in a sod house in the flat plains of Kansas at the turn of that other century. It wasn't Mother's Day that is keeping her in my thoughts this week though. It is the craziness in Topeka, not far from where she was raised. Mom was the oldest daughter of a preacher, who was the son of a preacher, and so forth. That side of the family, while devotedly religious, and among the founders and supporters of Baker University, were imbued with a fiery dedication to learning, to study, to science. My mother, as a young woman was never given the option of not going to college, and she received her obligatory full ride at Baker and Univ of Kansas, through which she matriculated with a BA and MA.
She was one of the first woman medical technologists, part of the group that pioneered x-ray therapy and examinations. She was first and foremost a scientist. She taught at the Washington University medical school, when they wouldn't accept her as a student in their all male medical program; she relished the idea of research and experimentation and study. But she was also her own person: a smoker from her teens, a hard drinker, a serious race car driver, a champion of women's sports long before there was Title IX.
She would be appalled by the behavior of the fundamentalists and evangelicals in Kansas. Their behavior discourages the study of science. Their desire to reduce the science curriculum of the state's school children to religious credos, destroys the fabric of a life that inspired and motivated my mother to achieve so much in her life. Sure she married a rocket scientist, but if she hadn't been teaching at Wash Univ she would never have met him. And without her strength of motivation and putting fire under our asses, i would not have a Ph.D., my brother would not be an M.D., my sister would not have her Ph.D.
So, although this isn't a funny story, it is a reminder that the little things mother's bring to the lives of their children is incredibly important. And they cannot have those passions if they are stifled by zealots who want to control the curriculum.