Mother's Day

So, Sunday was Mother's Day. My dad always asserted that every day was Mother's Day, meaning that my mom deserved honour and respect every day. Or maybe that got him out of buying a gift! LOL! No, probably not, as my dad was a gift giver by nature!

Mother's Day brings up lots of feelings for me. I always spend a good portion of the day remembering my mom. It's been 25 years since she died...that seems impossible. My memories of her have faded with time, of course, but they are still precious to me.

For some reason, I remember my mom's hands. They were never dainty or prettied up with polish. Her nails were always trimmed neatly and short....for practical reasons. My mom's hands were working ones...hardly ever resting. They were gardening, baking, cleaning, and yes, even disciplining! But as a child, I remember most that those strong hands became very gentle when stroking my forehead to soothe a fever or cuddling me before bed. Her hands were strong and capable. I never once doubted their strength, so it was a shock to me when she became ill. Those hands were healing and giving ones to me, not the ones belonging to a helpless patient in a hospital bed.

My mom gave me so many gifts. In my 12 or so years with her I learned the lessons of humility. She was humble in the truest sense. I learned the value of hard work and the value of stewardship. I learned to see the needs of others. This is the greatest gift my mom gave me. I saw from an early age how my mother could empathize with others. I don't remember a critical word spoken of another. I always remember her reminding me that I didn't know the full story of why someone behaved the way they did...that there was no place for judgement until I had walked in their shoes.

My mother was a pioneer in many ways, a woman ahead of her time. She was an environmentalist. She was so proud of her organic garden and recycled well before it was popular. I remember how excited she was about a great broccoli crop one summer. She made a lovely salad, only to discover the broccoli was infested with bugs!! I still remember her pulling away our plates before we dug in! We laughed and from then on, always checked our produce carefully!
She taught me about multiculturalism and accepting and loving all races. I remember that we had a Japanese exchange student in our Sunday School class. Mom pulled out all the stops one Sunday and we had a proper Japanese tea party in her honour to make her feel welcome. I remember how her heart ached when the stories of the Vietnamese refugees began to air. We would watch the plight of the "boat people" each night on the news. Once she asked my dad and I whether we should adopt one of the orphans. What a selfless thought for her to have in her 40s after raising a large family of her own, not to mention blending another family in and still raising a young child!

She loved to bake healthy things for us to eat, she loved to listen to CBC. She loved Fred Latrimeau as the weatherman on TV. I remember my dad calling to her from the living room, "Pat, Fred is on" My mom would rush out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a tea towel or an apron. She would adoringly watch the weather forecast with her beloved Fred and then go back to the dishes. We always laughed about her little "crush". Amazingly, one time when we were in Vancouver, she actually saw Fred in person.

Despite my loss, I feel very little sadness anymore. I'm grateful for the memories and the gifts my mother gave me. I'm even more grateful for the gift of my Aunt, who became a second mother to me. She continued to give me gifts that have carried me into my adult life. I'm grateful for my mother in law, who raised such an amazing man to be my soulmate. I'm grateful to the many woman God has brought into my life to mentor, guide and teach me.

Now I'm the mother. My daughters are my joy this Mother's Day. I can't believe God has given me such precious girls to raise. My heart is full and my cup overflows.