Mother's Day can be sad for those of us who have lost our Mothers. This summer will be six years since my Mom lost her long battle against breast cancer. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her in some way and feel her prescence. So many little things. Sometimes all I have to do is look in the mirror to think of Mom, because I favor her so much. Other times, I will say something and think, "Oh, my, that is exactly like something Mom would say". Sometimes I feel her spirit soaring on the whispering winds in the trees. I miss her.
My mother was an amazing woman.
She loved her family more than anything else. Mom and Dad always worked together throughout their entire marriage. First in the Pharmacy, then in the Real Estate office. It takes a special couple to be able to work together, all day, day after day successfully. They did it well. She loved being able to take care of my nephews when they were small. She loved reunions and digging into genealogy. She loved the community of friends that she and Dad found in the pow-wows that they attended.
She loved reading. One time, Mom and Dad and I read the same book by Stephen King, "Dream Catcher". Now - this is a strange story with some even stranger characters and events in it. Afterwards, we would burst out laughing when one of us would mention a particularly weird and gross thing from that book. (You'd just have to read it!)
She loved flowers and plants. Many of the plants in her yard were transplants from other locations. There was a lovely little vine that she got a start of from a rock wall in Eureka Springs, plants from her Dad's yard, and so many more. I remember vividly one occasion when, even though she was not feeling that great, she insisted on digging up a rose bush at one of their rent houses to transplant to her yard. Digging in the dirt refreshed her spirit.
She had a Zen/yoga-like philosophy. When any of us were suffering through a difficult time, her response was to remember that "this too shall pass". One time my husband and I were meeting Mom and Dad for dinner at a restaurant near their farm. First, you must know that my husband is very time conscious, and is ALWAYS on time or early for appointments. Well, the designated meeting time for dinner came and passed, and my husband was getting antsy. Mom and Dad finally arrived, and when we commented that we wondered if they'd gotten lost, she said, "Oh well, time is of no importance". Mom was a peace-maker, she was always the defuser in tense situations. She would often tell an upset family member, "Now, just calm down". She didn't like conflict any more than I do.
She loved music of ALL kinds. If you looked through her CD's, you would find: Rock, Pop, Jazz, Country, Bluegrass, Classical and Jazz. One of her favorite songs was, "All the Gold in California" by Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers. When the line: "All the gold in California is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills, in somebody else's name," would come up, we would all sing it together at the top of our lungs. It was hilarious! We all went to Branson twice to see Andy Williams, and once got to see Glen Campbell. A month before she passed away, I took her to see "Cats" for the second time, at the Walton Arts Center. She loved that musical, and named one of her cats "Macavity", after the mystery cat from that show.
In her last year, one of her favorite songs was "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe. To this day, I can't listen to this song without crying, because I love and miss Mom so much. I can only imagine what it will be like to see Mom and Jesus in Heaven.
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