A Word About Mothers...Mine In Particular

In honor of her birthday, I thought I’d pen a little tribute to the lady who is my Mother. Whenever I think of my mom in song, I always think of that song “Forever Young” by Bob Dylan.  I’m pretty sure he wrote that song about her. 

 “May you grow up to be righteous

 May you grow up to be true

 May you always know the truth

May you see the lights surrounding you

May you always be courageous

 May you stand upright and be strong

 May you stay forever young…”

My Mama is a free spirit and a joyful heart.  She dances in church, says stuff that she shouldn’t, and laughs at everything.  She is frequently irreverent.  She pretty much does or says whatever she feels in the moment…she’s about the most genuine and sincere person most of us will ever know.  And it’s a little funny when this quality gets her in trouble. 

She’s also passionate and feisty.  Woe be unto you if you hurt someone she loves.  She’s a champion of the underprivileged, the underappreciated.  She is in her element serving others…whether she’s feeding them, inviting them into her home or greeting them with a warm hug and a smile, she has the skill of making people feel at ease.  

She loves music, it speaks to her soul and it flows through every move she makes.  She laughs at people when they get hurt, which is a terrible, terrible reaction that she has passed onto her kids.  To this very day, my immediate reaction when someone trips is to laugh hysterically.  I don’t know why this is, but the reaction is automatic and I have to fight VERY HARD to keep myself in check.  

My cousins and I often muse about our mothers and how they are the definition of the word “survivor”.  It’s pretty mind-boggling to consider the early lives of my mom and her siblings.  I’ll never fully understand how those ladies turned out to be such strong, courageous, wise, loving people.  I have a very deep sense of pride in who my mom is for all that she’s been through.  

People know her as teacher, wife, friend and sister…but I, along with my siblings, are lucky enough to know her as Marmee, Mama, and MoTHER (emphasis is key here).  She’s taught us to be independent, creative, to figure things out on our own, to work hard and be kind, genuine people.  She taught us about accepting ourselves and others for exactly the people that they are in that moment.  She taught us that nothing is too much for the ones you love.

For those of you who were not lucky enough to have been endowed with Sara L. Willard’s motherly wisdom, I feel compelled to share a few of her gems with you: 

•  Never run over a plastic bag in the road because it could contain something awful, like a corpse.  (I KNOW.  This is so awful, which is probably why it sticks in my head.)

• Smashed ants smell like bleu cheese (this is actually 100% true).

•  Pull over on the side of the road immediately if you start blinking slowly, a sure indicator that you are about to fall asleep at the wheel

• It’s totally possible to catch a bird in the back yard using a stick, string and a cardboard box (NOTE:  This was an ingenious way to occupy us for hours at a time when we were kids)

•  If you are playing Hide-and-Seek with her, under no circumstances should you fall for the trick of going to hide first.  She has a faulty memory when it comes to remembering to LOOK for you. 
•  “Pipe juice” is actually just plain old water. 

• Few subjects are off limits, I’ll spare you the details.  I’ll just say that we are a very open family, a fact that may have backfired on my mom in particular a little later in life.  She might wish that her kids were just a tiny bit less open than we are now!

My childhood wasn’t luxurious or excessive.  It wasn’t perfect.  My parents worked hard to provide us with everything we needed.  Looking back, I have very happy, content memories of my childhood.  I remember flying kites, playing outside, and spending long, simple, happy days together.  We grew up with love and security and a real sense of what life is really all about.  My parents gave us a strong foundation, their love and wisdom holds us strong when the winds of change may blow.  For that, I’ll always be grateful.

So here’s to you, the best and prettiest Mama in the land.  Bob said it best when he said “May your heart always be joyful, may your song always be sung…and may you stay Forever Young”.