Here’s to the Moms

Celebrating Moms around the world

“Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. God bless Mommy and Daddy and Rosetta(sister) and Christopher (me) and James(brother) and Madelyn(sister) and Puddles(dog) and the fish and God and everybody else in the whole wide world. Amen.” She’d rise off her knees, tuck me in, kiss me on the forehead and close the door to my bedroom. She wore Jungle Gardenia when they went out and I remember the smell lingering for a few minutes. For years and years this went on nightly and remain one of the strongest memories of my Mother, Ruby. I remember her saying to me “Your Yes has to be Yes, and your No has to be No.” Her omnipresence in the audience of whatever sporting event or production I was involved in, be it gymnastics, or track or hanging out with Whitney Houston showing her latest crocheting effort. On the homepage of this site, I have a quote by the late comedian/actor Charlie Chaplin that says, “Humor heightens our sense of survival and preserves our sanity.” No one embodied that more than Ruby.

This Sunday, May 10, over 90 countries will celebrate Mother’s Day, including the United States. I wish all countries could decide on one universal Mother’s Day. It would make for a better unifying energy. All holidays in 2020 since the pandemic have been altered and Mother’s Day is no different. Many won’t even be able to see their Mom on that day, bring her flowers and take her to brunch, after church, of course. It’s every Christian Mother’s dream to have her children with her in church on Mother’s Day. I can remember sitting in restaurant lobbies for hours waiting to be seated, hunger pangs taking over like a pod only to be served cold, rushed food by overworked and under paid wait staff. Will not miss that.

The power of Mom’s. “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” Proverbs 31:26. Many of us struggle with our relationships with our Moms while on Earth. Taking them for granted, having too high expectations, the growing pains of them being too much in our business. It’s often said that “a Mom is only as happy as her saddest child.” What’s even sadder is that there’s only one day each year designated for Moms. All that they do, and they get one day. Many Moms don’t even want their family making a big fuss on the one day. Well, I say the ‘new normal’ is one where Moms, frontline workers, teachers, cleaners, food people, sanitation and all others are treated as the ‘essentials’ that they truly are. Pay them more, way more and everytime you encounter one, tell them “Thank you for your service.”

I still haven’t advanced very far in the editing. Don’t judge me. I did, however, put together a little something for the Moms. 20 years ago, a woman named Amy Borkowsky made a fortune recording her Mother’s messages on her answering machine. You probably remember it, but I pulled together as many photos of Moms as I could find and overlayed them with some of those hilarious messages for a quick, 4 minute tribute.

“Mother is a verb. It’s something you do. Not just who you are.” Dorothy Canfield Fisher

“Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.” Erich Fromm

“Motherhood: if you think my hands are full, you should see my heart.” Unknown

Here’s to the Moms!

The Herb Garden Update (week 5)

Its out of control. I cannot prune enough, it’s like the rain forest or something. It’s been fun watching things grow, but, how much dill can one take without turning to pickling, which, not even close. This will be the last herbs update. Hope you’ve enjoyed them.

How will you celebrate Mother’s Day?