Thank You Mom

Mother’s Day has always been a challenge for me. Seeing all the sappy Hallmark commercials, and “who has the best mother” contests, makes me want to barf. Actually, it makes me sad in a lot of ways. It makes me long for that ideal of mother that our society has, that I saw glimpses of from time to time.

There were times that I enjoyed the music my mother would make on her violin when she would take us kids to a chamber music or orchestral concert that she was playing in. She also shared her music with me when we would play our violins together for fun. During my high school days, I got some music gigs courtesy of Mom: playing in the pit orchestra for a musical, or playing at a local church.

Thank you Mom for the gift of music. It has been very special to me throughout my life, and always will be.

Mom would cook us homemade dinners every night. Even though they were far from gourmet, they were well-balanced. I learned basic cooking, how to follow a recipe, and to be self-sufficient in that arena. She also taught me the basics of other domestic talents, like sewing. I remember using a little sewing machine that had been Mom’s when she was young. The machine had no bobbin and sewed in a chain stitch. I made many outfits for my various dolls with it. Over the years, I became proficient enough to make my bridesmaid dress for my older brother’s wedding.

Thank you Mom for teaching me domestic skills that I use either daily, or at least fairly often- and these extend beyond just cooking and sewing.

One of the biggest reasons I have to thank my mother, is for agreeing to be here with me this lifetime, to teach me some of the biggest life lessons I’ll have this time around. I am learning that she has been here to challenge me to learn how to move from being in a place of fear, anger, and reactivity, into a space of compassion, forgiveness, and love.

It’s definitely a challenge, and it’s ever evolving. But moving into compassion and spending more and more time in forgiveness and love is more than sweet. Thank you Mom. I love you.