With Mother’s Day right around the corner I’ve been reminiscing a lot this week about my own Mom. It’s very strange for me to think that she wasn’t much older than I am now when I moved away from hometown of Columbus, Ohio to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1995.
Although we’ve lived halfway across the country from one another for the past twenty four years, I’m happy to say that we’ve remained very close. We talk at least once a day on the phone and visit, face-to-face a few times a year.
I have her to thank for countless things. She’s one of the main components of my earliest memories - reading Dr. Seuss books to me on the couch, digging in the dirt with her in our backyard garden, helping her make Christmas cookies.
My brother Curt, me, and my Mom in the late 70’s.
"Those scratchy marks there on the wall, They show how short I used to be, They rise until they get this tall, And Mama keeps reminding me, The way my Dad would take his pen, And as I stood there, stiff and straight, He’d put a ruler on my head, And mark the spot and write the date, She says that it’s my history, But I don’t understand at all. Just why she cries each time she sees those scratchy marks there on the wall.” ~ Shel Silverstein
She taught me so many things, by her example, that have made me who I am today - integrity, respect, honesty, humility, and patience. As an adult, and after having some experience in the world, I see how extremely rare these traits are. Ask anyone who knows her and they’ll tell you she embodies all of those.
Even at age forty-eight I’m still learning from her. Without the firm emotional and spiritual foundation she provided me with my life would have gone off the rails several times.
It’s been one of the greatest joys of my life to get to know my Mom as an adult, to get to see her humorous side, learn her deep beliefs and opinions, and to be able to spoil her a little bit.
We have no control of time and as we get to a certain age we realize that it passes far too quickly. What we do have a say in is how we exist in and spend each moment. I choose to relish in the great memories, make the most of today, and look forward to many more tomorrows.
I love you with all my heart Mom, Happy Mother's Day! I'm so grateful for your presence in my life.
Happy Mother’s Day to all you Moms out there (you have the most important job in the world)!
Thank you for reading,
Eric
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
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