This year, I made you a grandmother. You’re welcome. Seeing you with her has been so much fun. Although your youngest child is now 32, I guess holding a baby is like riding a bike. You know just what to do to make her smile.
Growing up, we always joked about ‘who was raising who?”, and admittedly, it’s probably unusual for the seven-year-old to be the one teaching the adult how to fix household appliances. But in spite of our playful banter, you actually taught me a lot, and I’m so thankful for that.
You taught me that there is fun to be had in even the least exciting of tasks.
Sometimes you just have to look at things from a different angle. I still laugh about the time we drove over to the local stone & gravel yard and loaded up the back of the family SUV with so many paving stones we almost popped a wheelie. I will always look forward to our ‘Lucy and Ethel’ outings.
You showed me that however many friends you have, there is always room for one more.
As a child, I knew of two universal truths; wherever we went, we’d run into someone you knew, and when we ran into someone you knew, we’d have to stop to chat. As a child, this meant a quick trip anywhere was never a quick trip. As an adult, I appreciate now how fun the world can be when you are surrounded by friendly faces.
You showed me that when you get knocked down, you can always get up again.
When you became a widow at 38 and had to figure out how to parent two small kids on your own, I watched you face it all head-on. You helped us figure out what our new normal was going to look like. Now, as a mom myself, I have a whole new appreciation for the challenges you overcame.
You taught me that when someone needs help, you help them.
Even if it isn’t convenient and even if you don’t know how, you’ll figure it out as you go. When you dropped your whole life to run the family business halfway across the country, not because you were the perfect candidate, or because you had any desire to do it, but because somebody needed to do it and nobody else volunteered.
Now that I’m a mom to my own daughter, I have to be mindful of how I pass these lessons on to her, but I’m so grateful for the example you set for me, and the one I know you will set for her too. I could never fully repay you for this, but I promise to always make time to talk you through your technological issues, as a small gesture of my appreciation – just as long as you buy the products I support ;).
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.
