Today is the day we all honor the woman we call Mother. Some of us still have our mothers with us and we can celebrate with them or if long distance separates us, there are phone calls made. And there are some of us whose mothers are no longer with us. They are the angels in heaven watching over us just as they did here on earth,.
My mother is one of those angels. I remember the last Mother's Day we had together. It was in May of 2010 and I was still grieving over the loss of my husband and she grieved with me as she had been as shocked as I was at his passing and all through the years she pretended, yes I say pretended, because when the truth was told, she didn't dislike the man who had married her daughter as much as she let on. She cared for him as he had proven he was a good husband and father to her granddaughters and he provided for me but she also knew that he loved me deeply and that I loved him. She had that love at one time and grieved when my father died in 1991. So she understood my loss and we talked for hours on that day reminiscing and sharing our remembrances.
Little did I know that a year later she would be gone and I could only look at the phone wishing I could pick it up and call her just to talk to her. She was taken away almost as abruptly as my husband and I feel I never really had the chance to say good bye. I had seen her a couple of months before when she called for me to come help her. She had made the decision to enter a nursing home and needed my help in packing up and getting rid of her things. My brother came as well but due to bad weather and road conditions she didn't call her younger daughter which resulted in family argument leaving my brother and I wondering why she had turned on us. But we did as our mother requested and as I said it was the last time I really was able to talk with her. I had a couple of phone conversations and then things changed as her other daughter took over her affairs with threats and coercion and we never got to say good bye to her or even go to her funeral. So I feel a deep sadness this day and yet I know she wouldn't want me to be unhappy and would tell me to look around and count the blessings I have now.
And what blessings I do have. My two daughters and four grandchildren are my blessings and are my rocks to lean on when I'm down. But I'm there for them just as she was for me. That is what a mother does. She cares for her flock, regardless of their age or the distance from her. Somehow or someway she is always there and just knowing that seems to have a calming effect and a peacefulness.
I can only hope one day when I am no longer on this earth that my daughters will still feel my presence and can feel my guiding hand when they are troubled.
I can't say that my relationship with my mother was all rosy and smooth sailing. We had our moments but we always managed to talk it out and remained friends as well as mother and daughter. I have the same relationship with my own daughters and I can see them doing the same with their offspring. It is something that mothers pass on to their offspring. We can disagree but we also need to talk it out and find a resolution for everyone. Like any close relationship, there will be clashes but as long as there is love, they can be worked out making it better for everyone.
How can we describe a mother? She is the woman who gives us life, who is there to care for us as we grow. She wears so many hats and is probably the smartest person we will ever know. She is our teacher from our infancy to adulthood as she is the one who teaches us to talk, to walk, to lead a spiritual life and to know good from bad. She is our confident and she doesn't just limit herself to one of her children but to all of them, daughters and sons alike. She teaches her daughters how to be good mothers but she also teaches her sons how to be good and caring fathers who are providers for their families.
How can we describe a mother? She is the woman who gives us life, who is there to care for us as we grow. She wears so many hats and is probably the smartest person we will ever know. She is our teacher from our infancy to adulthood as she is the one who teaches us to talk, to walk, to lead a spiritual life and to know good from bad. She is our confident and she doesn't just limit herself to one of her children but to all of them, daughters and sons alike. She teaches her daughters how to be good mothers but she also teaches her sons how to be good and caring fathers who are providers for their families.
So today I hope all the mothers had a wonderful day as well as for those who are no longer with us in body, but were with us in spirit.
