Sunday, May 13, 2012

mom

To all the mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day!

This day, I pause to give a special thanks to my mother. She has generously given me many wonderful gifts over the years. I believe my love for animals was a gift from mom. She has always had a huge love for dogs.

 Mom and Penny                       Aug 1992
My mother has never been much for cats. I believe she once got spooked by a cat as a child and hasn't had any other experiences with them since. I would love to introduce her to the many delights of cats via my clan. Sadly, 3,000 miles stand between my house and mom's, and she's not doing much traveling these days.

Mom snuggling with Tinker (her Chihuahua)   Unknown date
When I was a child, mom and I shared the same dream. We both wanted to have a huge property and all the resources needed to take in all the stray dogs and provide them everything they needed. It was a delightful dream. That was a time before I knew the amazingness of cats.

 Mom's barn loom                   circa 1992

I believe I also received my enjoyment of natural materials from mom. Mom is a weaver, she loves to weave. Her large barn loom was her favorite, but her current house is not large enough to accommodate the big barn loom, so she makes do with a few smaller ones. Back in the day, mom used to card wool and spin her own yarn which she would then weave into something amazing.

photo courtesy of nashua.patch.com
My love of orange juice, muffins, cinnamon rolls and other sweet stuff also comes from mom. I have many fond memories of hanging out with her in the mornings at various breakfast establishments around town, such as Poor Pierre's. My school started later than my older brother's so, we would head to a breakfast counter where she would order her black coffee and a sweet pastry. I always went for the orange juice and a sweet pastry.

A few other things that I learned from mom:
  • When dining at a restaurant, you are not restricted to just the items listed on the menu. You can order lots of other things that may not appear on the menu.
  • Asserting for oneself is a good thing. In high school, I worked at a grocery store. The store had a policy of needing two weeks advanced notice for any scheduled time off. I followed their policy and requested some time off. When the time came near, I noticed the store manager had scheduled me to work for the time I had requested off. I went out to the car to tell my mom that I had to work and therefore couldn't do whatever it was we were going to be doing on the time off. She told me to go back in there and tell them that I was not working on those days because I had followed their policy. I sheepishly did so and the manager immediately made the change on the schedule.
  • There can be value in the things that other people toss out.
  • Driving in the winter is scary. When the roads are covered in snow and ice, sometimes it's better just to stay home.
  • Hospital snack bars and cafeterias can be very pleasant places to dine.
Thanks mom for all you have given me. I love you and wish I was able to celebrate Mother's Day with you in person. Many blessings to you.

5 comments:

  1. What a lovely post for your mom. She sounds like a special lady and I'm glad you have had a good relationship with her. :-)

    Happy Sunday!

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  2. You made my mom smile with your loving tribute to your mom. Here is a (hug) from my mom to yours. Happy Mother's Day.

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  3. Your Mom sounds like a really cool Mom to have...thanks for telling us about her. And tell her that 13 kitties in Nevada wish her a Happy Mother's Day!

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    1. I hope your Mom gets to read this. I think it will make her feel very good on her special day.
      Happy Mother's Day.

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  4. Your mom sounds wonderful!! All these things you learned from her are great things. And thank you for sharing your memories with her in your childhood. This post must have made your mom smile really big :-)

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