My mom at age 24, holding my brother.
Dear Mom,
When I was in elementary school, we would
always make some sort of construction paper craft to give to our mothers
for Mother's Day. A basket. A woven heart. A daisy-themed door hanger.
Do you remember any of those things? I don't know if you remember them,
or even if you liked them at the time. You were, after all, never one
for fuss. No, you preferred to celebrate my birthday, which always falls
within a few days of, if not actually on, Mother's Day.
Now that I am older, I am humbled, so utterly and completely humbled, by how little you expect in return.
You
have always loved me unconditionally, always, and there is nothing I
can do and nothing I can buy in order to pay you back for the years of
undeserved love. The most I can do is love you back. And make you laugh.
And write you letters. And tell you stories.
It's what you used to do for me each night, when I
was small--read stories. Together, we'd thumb through Berenstain Bear
books and even the Lutheran catechism. You taught me prayers. You taught
me poems. You taught me to read. You taught me that it's okay to be
scared of bumps in the night, that it's okay to sleep with the light
on.
You taught me how to make your signature macaroni
and cheese (a dollop of dijon, a fistful of parsley). You taught me how
to make deviled eggs. You taught me how to check the fluids in my first
car. You taught me how to properly use a hammer, and taught me the
difference between Phillips and flat-head screwdrivers. You taught me
how to fly a kite. You taught me to listen to my gut instinct. Through
your mistakes and your triumphs, you taught me how to be strong. You taught me how to fight for what I believe is just.
I love you more than you know, mom, and sometimes
it's hard to express those sentiments when we're two states and six
hundred miles apart. Distance aside, you're still my mom. I still want
to share with you my good news. I still want to talk to you when I need
advice. I still want to call you when wandering the grocery store,
frustrated that "I can't find tahini! WHERE WOULD THE TAHINI BE?" You're
there to tell me where the tahini is. You're there to tell me what
movie the quote "What is a plethora?" comes from ("The Three Amigos"). You're there when I need to be cheered up. You're my partner in crime, my fellow lover of "Wicked," "Harry Potter," and bad '80s movies.
And I love you. That's the long and the short of it.
And, no matter what you try to tell me, today is your day.
You're more than I ever could've asked for. More than
I ever could've wished for. You're a parent. You're a friend. You're a
confidante. You're an advice columnist. You're a cook. You're a letter
writer. You're a fan. You're a mom. You're my mom.
And I love you.
I am sure when your mom reads this her tears will be flowing... I remember when one of my daughter's wrote something similar and I couldn't stop crying... Even if it wasn't in reference to being a mom, just reading the heartfelt words is enough... Sidebar: when my son was in 6th grade, i remember being at a friend's house and seeing the gift that her son made (in school)... i was so touched by the poem and the paper made box that I cried... that was when she said: " its a CLASS PROJECT FOR MOTHER'S DAY'... that was when she and I burst out laughing... I soon got mine... I will tell u it was a touching poem, with definite symbolism in the small box... words and symbolism definitely put me over the edge! :-)
ReplyDeleteI always liked making things for my mom, and I'm glad that your children were able to make such things for you, too! My mom kept so many of the little things I made for her; I found them all when I went through my childhood boxes a few years ago. I still like making things for her. My mom doesn't have a computer, so, a couple of years ago, I printed off a bunch of my blog posts and made them into a book. She texted me on Mother's Day and said she was rereading all of them. :)
DeleteAbsolutely beautiful Dawn, I hope your mum reads this. She is lucky to have such an insightful and devoted daughter as you are. Reading this has made me really appreciate how lucky I am. For some reason it made me think about the people who don't have a mother or who have a disjointed relationship with theirs. We are so lucky xxx
ReplyDeleteLa Lingua : Food, Love, Friends, Travel, Italy
Thank you, thank you, for your kind words. I really am so very grateful to have a close relationship with my mom. I would hope that someone who doesn't have a strong relationship with his or her mother has been able to find a maternal figure in another individual, because moms do love us best. They love us hard.
DeleteThis is lovely! Thanks so much for sharing this. Your mom is really lucky to have a daughter as amazing as you!
ReplyDelete