Mother’s Day is next weekend, so I thought I would show some gratitude and give thanks to my mom because my mom is the best mom!

Thanks for trying to sing me to sleep.  Trust me, it wasn’t your singing, it was your song choice—Goodnight, My Love—that would make me cry.  Just think what the line “My moment with you now is ending,” sounded like to a child.

Thank you for teaching me that family is important.  I grew up next to my Aunt and her family.  Cousins were best friends and everyone was in and out of each other’s houses like it was their own.  We had regular picnics and parties and card games together.

Thank you for correcting my posture whenever you saw me walking in or out of the house.  I hated it at the time, and it continues to be a struggle sometimes (especially for someone who curls herself over a desk to write,) but I can also attest to the fact that I’m still the same height today as I was in my 20’s.  I’m sure yoga helps with this too, but I know as short as I am,  I also stand tall, whenever I remember what I was taught.

Thank you for taking care of my son when he was young.  This grandparent spoiled child (now 29) was given some of his best memories by you and dad. Memories of playing at every (and I mean every) miniature golf establishment in the state; picnics at Kent Falls State Park and weekly trips to the shore to see the boats (his most requested ride.)  I know those memories are just as important to you.

Thanks for being involved in politics.  Not that you ever ran for office, but you were an active member of the Republican party, and I remember being in elementary school and having political discussions at the table, being at rallies and being aware of the greater world.  At the dinner table, other people talked about what happened at school or on the job, we talked about the nuclear arms race, Steve Cauthen, and Munich. Time magazine and two daily newspapers were always in the house, and I read them all at a young age.  And although we may disagree politically, you can’t say that we do so because of a lack of knowledge.

Thank you for teaching me to appreciate the night sky.  Because of you, I laid down, one August night, next to the Eternal Flame at Gettysburg and watched the Perseid Meteor showers.  And one cold January night, my son and I, bundled up in our winter clothes, extra blankets with hot chocolate, watched a midnight showing of the eclipse of the moon.  He now owns a huge telescope so he can look at the night sky. And my husband and I regularly go out to look at the sky.  Last fall, we had our whole condo association sitting on their porches watching an eclipse of the moon.

Thank you for also searching the night sky for UFOs.  I’m sure that’s one of the things you miss the most now that macular degeneration has claimed your eyesight.  And I know that one of your biggest regrets is not seeing a real UFO.  One of my favorite stories is from one winter in the 1970’s as you drove to your third shift job and saw two lights bouncing across a field.  You stopped the car and watched in excitement (and some fear) as the lights started coming right at you. And you almost peed your pants when two snowmobiles zoomed across the road in front of you.  It took guts to stay there thinking you were going to see a UFO.

Thank you for putting up with me.  I know that you weren’t quite sure what to do with a shy bookworm who preferred to write in her room rather than be a social butterfly like you were in high school.  You couldn’t quite understand me, but indulged my creativity anyway.  How hard it must have been for you, who loved spiked heels, cocktail parties and dancing to raise a Birkenstock wearing, outdoor loving, hippie.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to dance, but it’s not a Polka that I’m doing and it certainly isn’t in high heels!

And an everlasting thank you for teaching me that it’s ok to be strong and independent and not afraid to butt heads (even if that meant with you sometimes.)  Your three daughters all learned this lesson and are/were eternally grateful for that lesson. I know my mom is the best mom, I’m also sure she told me so many times.

Happy Mother’s Day.