My Mom

My mom…..

• Had an undeniably infectious laugh.  If she was laughing, there was no way for you not to be.
• Could dance. She could really dance.  Instead of telling me to turn down my window rattling music when I was a teenager, she’d swing my door open and dance her way into my room.  Her dancing skills were not appreciated when I had friends over.
• Wore sandals all year. In the snow she’d wear clogs, but unless there was threat of frostbite, my mom was sportin’ Birkenstocks.
• Loved Christmas.  She would start listening to Christmas music anytime after we went back to school, and unapologetically put up the Christmas tree in November.  I do the same thing.
• Made the coolest birthday cakes.  When we were kids my brother and I always had amazing cakes – Ninja Turtles, Strawberry Shortcake, Batman – she would spend hours on a cake that would be devoured in minutes.
• Gave the best hugs.  She just did.
• Kept me sane as a new mom.  She loved every minute she spent with Mimi and would rock her for hours and put her down for the night so I could sleep.
• Collected tea pots. She had at least 60, probably more, and some of them are pretty darn ugly. She couldn’t NOT display them when she got them as gifts.
• Had a dresser in her dining room.  I have a dresser in my dining room.  Strange, but true – and really handy for storage.
• Told me she loved Mimi more than me.  She said she thought she loved her kids more than anyone in the world until she met Mimi.  I was okay with that.
• Loved me.  Really, really loved me. No one in the history of the world has loved their children more than my mom loved my brother and I.
• Died. And I miss her. And it hurts.

Last year on Mother’s Day, 3 days before I found out that she had 3 months to live, I wrote a blog post that said “So many people never get the opportunity to know their mothers, or have a relationship that is less than perfect. I’m so lucky to have had 27 years to know her – and I’m hoping for 27 more.”

I didn’t get 27 more years, but I’m one of the lucky ones.  I had a mother who loved me unconditionally, who taught me how to love my own children, how to make choices that were right for me and not apologize, how to live a life I can be proud of, and how to wear summer footwear all year long. 

Not everyone can say that.