My inspiration for this post came from my dear, longtime blogging friend, Debbie @ Musings by an ND Domer's Mom, who is not only a gifted...
This will be the second Mother’s Day I am experiencing since my mother passed away in November of 2012. In a way it feels as though it was just yesterday that she left this earth, but in another way it feels as though it was ages ago.
There are times when I actually have to pause for a second and remember that she is no longer here physically, especially when I get the sudden urge to pick up the phone and talk with her.
A few months ago while I was taking the train out to Chestnut Hill, it made a stop in Germantown, which is where my mother was born and grew up. And as I looked out the window, I got very emotional imagining her as a little girl and what it must have been like to grow up in that area of Philadelphia in the 1940’s. It was amazing, because I could actually feel her presence with me as I imagined that.
I can’t tell you how often I will be watching an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (which was a show that she loved) and be transported back in time, recalling what it was like to sit and watch it with her on TV. I can still remember what her laughter sounded like anytime the character of anchorman Ted Baxter would say or do something funny. She would throw her head back, and laugh and laugh.
I also remember watching old Bette Davis and Joan Crawford films with her on a Saturday afternoon in our den, while she did the ironing.
Throughout the past 6 months, I have recalled so many cherishable moments and experiences I had with my mother. It's like pressing the rewind button on a film and viewing the past within my heart.
For those of you who may be new to my blog, the mother I speak of was my stepmother. My biological mother passed away when she was 40 years old and I was 6. My father got remarried about 2 years later to a lovely lady who raised me and will always be considered my mother.
She was only 22 years old when she married my father, who was 45. She was merely a child herself at that time, therefore was uncertain about how to be a mother, especially to three children that were not her own.
So do you know what she did? She simply loved us. And in doing so, she became a mother.
Several years later, she had her own child, my younger brother Tom.
And I’m not just saying this because she was my mother, but she was a very special and one-of-a-kind human being.
She was a cross between Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy and Audrey Hepburn. She was zany and very funny, but at the same time she had a beautiful grace and refinement about her.
She was like a chameleon, who could adapt herself to fit into any crowd and make herself at home; allowing others to feel at home and comfortable around her.
I couldn’t have asked for a better mother because she was a wonderful role model for me in so many ways.
She was kind, compassionate, generous, and always looked for the good in others.
She taught me how to respect animals and nature.
She provided me with so much valuable wisdom for when I became an adult.
She gave me a foundation of fertile soil, in which to grow and blossom on my own.
And I suppose because I was very young when my biological mother passed away, I can’t remember a single experience I had with her that I can share with you. However, what I do remember is how much she loved me. I recall her as being almost like an angel - somewhere between heaven and earth - ethereal.
As I got older, many members of my family told me what a lovely lady she was - kind, soft-spoken, and gentle.
So you see, I am a very fortunate man because I've had the blessing of being loved and nurtured by two mothers.
One who carried me into this world.
And one who carried me through this world.
Thank you, lovely ladies…
There are times when I actually have to pause for a second and remember that she is no longer here physically, especially when I get the sudden urge to pick up the phone and talk with her.
A few months ago while I was taking the train out to Chestnut Hill, it made a stop in Germantown, which is where my mother was born and grew up. And as I looked out the window, I got very emotional imagining her as a little girl and what it must have been like to grow up in that area of Philadelphia in the 1940’s. It was amazing, because I could actually feel her presence with me as I imagined that.
I can’t tell you how often I will be watching an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (which was a show that she loved) and be transported back in time, recalling what it was like to sit and watch it with her on TV. I can still remember what her laughter sounded like anytime the character of anchorman Ted Baxter would say or do something funny. She would throw her head back, and laugh and laugh.
I also remember watching old Bette Davis and Joan Crawford films with her on a Saturday afternoon in our den, while she did the ironing.
Throughout the past 6 months, I have recalled so many cherishable moments and experiences I had with my mother. It's like pressing the rewind button on a film and viewing the past within my heart.
For those of you who may be new to my blog, the mother I speak of was my stepmother. My biological mother passed away when she was 40 years old and I was 6. My father got remarried about 2 years later to a lovely lady who raised me and will always be considered my mother.
She was only 22 years old when she married my father, who was 45. She was merely a child herself at that time, therefore was uncertain about how to be a mother, especially to three children that were not her own.
So do you know what she did? She simply loved us. And in doing so, she became a mother.
Several years later, she had her own child, my younger brother Tom.
And I’m not just saying this because she was my mother, but she was a very special and one-of-a-kind human being.
She was a cross between Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy and Audrey Hepburn. She was zany and very funny, but at the same time she had a beautiful grace and refinement about her.
She was like a chameleon, who could adapt herself to fit into any crowd and make herself at home; allowing others to feel at home and comfortable around her.
I couldn’t have asked for a better mother because she was a wonderful role model for me in so many ways.
She was kind, compassionate, generous, and always looked for the good in others.
She taught me how to respect animals and nature.
She provided me with so much valuable wisdom for when I became an adult.
She gave me a foundation of fertile soil, in which to grow and blossom on my own.
And I suppose because I was very young when my biological mother passed away, I can’t remember a single experience I had with her that I can share with you. However, what I do remember is how much she loved me. I recall her as being almost like an angel - somewhere between heaven and earth - ethereal.
As I got older, many members of my family told me what a lovely lady she was - kind, soft-spoken, and gentle.
So you see, I am a very fortunate man because I've had the blessing of being loved and nurtured by two mothers.
One who carried me into this world.
And one who carried me through this world.
Thank you, lovely ladies…
And I want to wish all you ladies out there who are mothers, a Happy Mother’s Day. Please know that you are appreciated and loved…x
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