Mother's Day Remembered
I went to college in West Virginia, and often drove past the little church in Grafton where Anna Jarvis celebrated the first Mother's Day on May 10, 1908. Next year, it will be the 100th anniversary of this important celebration, so maybe I will try to be there. My mother is 86 years old and is in a nursing home. She has dementia and does not remember that she has three sons most of the time. She gets mixed up and thinks my older brother is her late husband. She is our mother nonetheless. This is a picture of my mother about a year before she entered the nursing home.
My mother came from a very large Appalachian family. She is seated on the bottom row, next to my grandfather. Note that my uncle in the top left does not really have a disproportionately large head. Since he was in the military at the time of this photo, his picture was "pasted" in.One year, our five children each picked out a tree to plant in our yard, from a palm tree to a mulberry. We selected an appropriate spot and they dug the hole (sort of). Even though we no longer own that house, most of those trees are still thriving. The mulberry tree is so big and poorly trimmed now that it took over most of the side yard. The palm tree is nearly thirty feet tall, and the Japanese maple tree is beautiful. The nectarine tree died when it was so laden with fruit that it split down the center.
Last night, two of our adult children, their spouses/significant others, and grandchildren took us out to dinner at a local steakhouse. The kids that could not make it to dinner sent cards and called. The gathering was nice, but the venue had a lot to be desired. The place was unbelievably noisy, the service was lousy, and my lamb was raw. I never did get my baked potato, but it wasn't my day. It was Mother's Day.
Last year, we had a Mother's Day breakfast at a very crowded local eatery. While we were waiting for a table, someone had sat out some folding chairs in the parking lot for the mothers and grandmothers who were also waiting. I noticed a 60ish woman sitting in one of those chair light up a cigarette. Disgusted by the smoke blowing my way, I moved a bit upstream.
A few minutes later, a little boy about three to four years old emerged from the restaurant with his family. Immediately, he noticed the woman smoking and he walked up to her.
He pointed his little finger right at her face and explained, "You should not be smoking!"
"I know, honey," said the woman, "Smoking is bad."
Waving his accusatory finger with the fury of a Pentecostal preacher, he shouted, "You are gonna die!" Then he said it again, louder and with even more conviction. His embarrassed family quickly led him to the car. I walked away, too, so that she would not hear me laughing.
The woman was speechless and put out the cigarette. Now, that is a Mother's Day to remember.
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: Mother's Day, health-and-wellness
3 Comments:
I have read quite a few of your blogs about your mother and how you and your older brother were treated. I would never have thought of her as being the way you described. She is, no matter what, your mother and it was nice to see her honored in your blog. I met your mother many, many years ago, when she and Joe lived in Fairchance and thought she was a very nice person. I enjoy reading your blogs and look forward to any new ones you may post.
Yes, my mother was a challenging person. Now that she has dementia, she is very confused most of the time and does not remember who we are now. My mother had a very rough life as a child, and then as an adult....losing her first husband when he was only 39 (my dad); and then losing her second husband from a heart attack many years later.
It took me a long time to forgive her for childhood abuses, but guess what? The power of forgiveness is awesome. Once you "let it go", you are free. And, you can care for that person again.
Thank you so much for your kind comments.
Your welcome. As I said, I liked your mother, she was always nice and pleasant towards me, but I often wondered why she allowed her young son to hitch hike so often. Reading your blogs enlightened me since she allowed you to hitch hike, too, and at a very young age.
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