Happy Mother’s Day!

This morning I woke up at 5:30 am, couldn’t get back to sleep, got up, fed the dog, made a fresh pot of coffee, emptied the dishwasher, loaded the dishwasher, folded laundry, and straightened out the den. I looked at my watch; it was now 6:30a.m. I deliberated going for a quick 4-mile run but opted to write my mother a heartfelt message on a card, and while I was at it, wrote one to my sister Mary Lou as well. It wasn’t long before the tears ran down my face as I thought how lucky I was to have such amazing women as part of my life. My mother suffered a stroke last October. At the time, we all wondered if she would be around this year for Mother’s Day and thoughts of what life would be like without my mother preoccupied me day and night. It was a difficult time, to say the least. The day we brought my mother home from the rehab center is one that will stay with me for a long time to come. Even though she was unable to walk, her speech was intact and her prognosis was unsure; her blood pressure was higher than we wanted and we had to yet to see how much her body would allow her to recover. It didn’t matter; my heart was so full at the sight of my mother home again (she was at a rehab center for three long weeks) that I jumped up and down like a little kid saying “My mommy is home, my mommy is home!”

I am one of five children, three girls and two boys. I am the middle child, preceded by an older brother and sister, followed by the same. I cannot speak for my siblings but even now with two of my own children well on their way to becoming young adults, I still get an incredible sense of peace and tranquility knowing that my mother is around. I can remember being a teenager, having a bad dream and crawling into bed next to my mother. She didn’t have to say anything; all she had to do was move slightly aside, make just enough room to let me in, and within minutes, I found myself fast asleep. At 78, my mother still worries about me, tells me I take nice photos, wishes I could visit just a little bit longer (I see her every week, sometimes more), and tells me I’m young enough to find another husband! Mom! My mother taught me how to behave like a lady, how to cook, sew, take care of people, write letters, entertain, recycle, make do without, keep an clean and mostly orderly house, follow a religion, ….there are so many things that I do well because I had a mother who cared. Thank you mama. It is my utmost wish to give back to you everything that you have given me. Happy Mother’s Day!

Here are a couple of photos from today. The kids and I went to my brother Gilbert’s house for brunch. We were joined by our parents, and my youngest sister Mary Lou and her family. The food was great, the company was excellent. I even played a game of ping-pong against my 82-year old dad! Don’t let his age fool you, he is a shark when it comes to ping-pong.

My wonderful parents. They have been married for 51 years!

My beautiful sister Mary Lou, wonderful mommy herself.

Grandpa with Marcus (my brother’s son) and Aiden (Mary Lou’s son).

Me and my mom

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My crazy boy, Peter.

My nephew Nick, my lovely Sarah, my brother in law, Steve. He’s silly!

My sister-in-law Marcia and my nephew Marcus.

The kids doing what they do best…..

My God daughter Erin and Aiden. Aren’t they the cutest?!

Me playing ping-pong with a baby on my hip (and I’m barefoot to boot!) Isn’t that what motherhood is all about???

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