My Mother’s Day

My mom loved drinking coffee.

We used to sit at the kitchen counter together, drinking coffee, and looking out the window.

We pretended we were looking at ships passing by.

One of my mother’s favorite snacks was a Ritz cracker spread with Temp Tee cream cheese.

My mom was always home to greet us after school.

She was a delicious cook, nothing fancy, simple and heart warming: breast of veal, chicken soup and tuna casserole. Not much of a baker and dessert was not big in our house. Now I believe dessert should be the first course of any meal! I made this apron for her in elementary school embroidered with her initials (all by hand!):

My mom worked out of the home until I was born. I was the first of three children.

My mom married my dad at 18 who then went off to war, the Korean War. Luckily he was not on the front lines. He served as a medic in Europe. When he came home, he wanted to be a pharmacist. He couldn’t get into pharmacy school. The reason, he was Jewish. That is a story for another day.

Today it is all about my mom. My mom was a smoker, a two pack a day smoker. My mom died over 27 years ago from lung and brain cancer. That was the saddest day of my life.

I miss her everyday.

My mom was a fantastic knitter and needle pointer. A few years ago I donated many of her sweaters to Safe Alliance. My mom was 5’ and her sweaters no longer fit. I have some of her needlepoint masterpieces hanging in our home.

She also made this masterpiece of an outfit for a school play (shorts, harem pants, little bralet, and a headpiece:

My mom’s favorite flower was the tulip. So I brought tulips today in her honor.

One of my mom’s favorite songs was ‘Somewhere Out There’ from An American Tail. If I listen to that song, I have a big ugly cry.

Not today.

Today I rejoice in my mother’s unconditional love. I will buy a new lipstick for her; something bold and bright.

Whenever she went anywhere, even to the grocery store, she was always impeccably dressed. Back then everything was matchy matchy; shoes and handbags. When I used to visit during grad school she used to comment when I went out in my sweats. I still think of her when I go to the market today in sweats and no makeup!

My mom lived for her family. She was a rock. I never heard her complain. She loved being a mom. I have saved her voice on an ‘old-school’ answering machine. After some many years, it is easy to recall her image but not her voice. So I have this tape of her leaving me her mom message of love.

I am not a mom, and I carry many of her maternal traits in me.

During the last months of her life, she made a photo album for my brother, sister and I. This morning I went through the album, with tissues nearby and here are some of those beautiful images she saved for me.