Happy Mother's Day

It's been quite a while since I've posted so today I am going to share a story with you about my mother.

My mother has been dead for nine years, and I still miss her. I wonder if they will ever be a time when I don't feel as though she is waiting for me. Waiting for me to call her, waiting for me to take her food shopping, waiting for me to take her to the library, but especially waiting for me to visit her in the nursing home.

We were fortunate to have our mother for 86 years. Mom became a widow at the age of 49, and never remarried. Oh, she had boyfriends but never felt the need to get married again. The stories I could tell about her one boyfriend would fry your hair, but that's for another time. Basically, our mother had a healthy life. She did have quite a few mini-strokes along the way, but no major ones until later. Only the last few years did she develop vascular dementia from all the mini-strokes that ate at her brain cells. Even after the vascular dementia there were times when she was completely lucid and still silly.

I can truthfully tell you that most of the time my mother was a pleasure to be around. She was funny, silly, and told great big lies. I think she even believed them! She was also a shoplifter. Not a kleptomaniac because she was quite aware of what she was doing. She was very lucky never to be caught--that I know of!

One time I was an innocent partner in her crime. We had been food shopping and, while placing the bags in the trunk, something fell out of my blazer pocket. On the ground lay a tube of toothpaste. I asked Mom where that came from, and she told me that she had put it in my pocket at the check-out counter. No way would I go back in the store and admit my mother had stolen it, but I wanted to know why she did it. Apparently, she thought the price was too high and felt the store was taking advantage of people. Then, in her pocket I saw a magazine--also stolen. I told her if she did that anymore I wouldn't take her food shopping again. To my knowledge, she was good from there on. My older brother used to take her food shopping but refused to do it anymore. He never told me why (I thought he was too busy) but now I bet she did the same thing with him.

Those are are just a few memories of my mother. I am chuckling as I type about the shoplifting because it is so her.

For all those who still have a mother, hug her for me. For those whose mothers are gone, write down a story you remember about her and share it with your family. Hopefully, it will bring a smile to their faces while remembering.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom, wherever you are – and I hope you have wings.