A Tribute to Mom
Happy Birthday Mom!
Just a few snippets of a lifetime of memories I have. A handful of a story I plan to tell soon, a chapter at a time.
Today is our mom’s 82nd birthday; February 21st. My sister and I are taking her to dinner and then for a pedicure tomorrow in Jackson. She chose Applebees. A great choice! We’re anticipating a great day for her.
A small tribute to our mom…
Little Viking Mom.
Our mom is virtually a little Viking woman. Born and raised in rural country, Michigan, she’s strong. She’ll work circles around my sisters and me.
She went out this morning and shoveled snow and ice off the walkways to make it safe for the mail girl. She does that regularly all winter long. She rakes and bags leaves all Fall long and she cuts the grass with her Zero Turn lawnmower… wind in her hair and a big smile on her face. She cuts straighter lines than any I’ve ever seen (possibly due to the fact that she only has peripheral vision in both eyes). When she’s done, she speeds across the yard towards the open barn doors, pops a wheelie over the entryway, and screeches to a halt in perfect place inside.
Mom worked side by side with our dad in renovating and rebuilding this house. She did half the heavy lifting and still made time to cook, clean, and do laundry. And she did the same when we were kids while working a full-time job our whole lives.
A Good Mom.
Growing up, our mom cooked every single meal we ate, every single day. She didn’t have the luxury of ordering pizza or picking up something like a lot of moms do now when they’ve had a rough day or they’re too tired to cook. We always had clean clothes and we always had what we needed. Our home was always neat and clean.
Counting Tips.
I remember getting up for school and she’d be sitting at the kitchen table, still in her waitress uniform having just gotten home from working a graveyard shift, and she’d be stacking change and counting her tips. She used that money to take care of us.
School Clothes.
She’d save up her money and at the beginning of each school year, she’d take us out shopping for school clothes. We’d each get a full weeks’ worth of brand-new clothes, a pair of shoes, coats, etc. That was always an exciting time for us.
Peeling Potatoes.
Mom has peeled hundreds of thousands of potatoes possibly; she is the best at peeling and cutting potatoes. She’s downstairs peeling and cutting some now that I will run downstairs and cook for dinner when I get my hour off from work at 5:00. She does that to give me a head start any time dinner involves potatoes or something that needs to be cut up.
My Right Hand.
I learned which was my right hand while she was cutting potatoes. I remember standing at the counter next to her when I was little; I was on her right, and when I asked her which hand was my right one, she reached across the front of me and touched my right hand. That is the vision that pops up when I have to think for a moment which side is my right… mom reaching across me and touching my right hand.
Burning Down the Field.
When I was 6 or 7, my friend Billy and I were playing with matches. We started a small fire that quickly became a raging blaze that burned the whole field we were playing in and threatened homes. I lied and blamed my friend. I carried great guilt for that. I confessed to my mom a couple of years later and she said, “oh I know.” That’s all she said.
School Bus Kidnapping.
When I was about 6 and took the school bus home from school for the first time, I saw my mom standing on the side of the road waiting for me. I was so happy but to my horror the bus kept on going right past her! I was mortified… I put my head down and cried my guts out unaware that the school bus circles back to drop you on that side of the road. My mom was still there when we headed back that way. It was like having been kidnapped and then returned to my mom.
Sears Catalog Dresses.
One memory of sheer joy when I was about 5, is when mom let us look in the sears catalog and help pick out dresses for school. And then later they’d arrive. Even now, 55 years later, I can remember that wonderful feeling.
Warm Milk and Sugar.
When I was about 4, I think, and I couldn’t sleep (or wouldn’t sleep), she’d bring me warm milk and sugar. I have a vision of her silhouette in the doorway while I was in bed after calling for her.
To be continued ….
