Mother

“The woman who creates and sustains a home and under whose hands children grow up to be strong and pure men and women, is a creator second only to God.” — Helen Hunt Jackson
Mother’s Day should be a happy day, but for some of us who have lost our mothers, it is bittersweet. I love being surrounded by my children, but there is always a touch of sadness in my heart because I miss my own mother so much.
It’s been just two years since she died of cancer. She was only 69 years old and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her, but I suspect that when it comes to our mothers we are never ready to give them up. There are many things I miss about mom, but what I miss the most is sharing my children with her.
Some of my best memories of her are of watching her become a grandmother. She absolutely loved my children beyond measure. She spoiled them with toys and sugary treats and she loved to take them to store for special treats. She practically raised my daughter as she retired right when she went to kindergarten and became her caregiver. They would sit and Drink diet pepsi (which I had forbidden) but I never forgot that she was my Mother and I just kindly asked, please don't give her that. She would say "I'm sorry" And give it to her the very next day, I later found this out from my Dad.
If my children were sick she went to the doctor with me or she would bring medicine or whatever was needed. When I gave birth to my son and had complications she stayed with me for well over two months to help me get acclimated to my new life with a teenager and a new born. She helped me plan their birthday parties and always carried enough pictures of them in her purse to plaster the walls of her house.
And so this being my second Mother’s Day I have a whole host of bittersweet memories. I rejoice that in a world of abused and abandoned children, I had a mother who loved me, nurtured me, and taught me right from wrong. And I cry, because I miss her friendship, her strength, her humor, and her love for my children.

Missing you,