Today marks two decades of Mother’s Days for me as a mother, and the sixteenth Mother’s Day without my mother. I am the happiest that I have ever been in life, and at times that makes me miss Mom even more. I remember observing how Mom would always find a way to show up in Houston on Mother’s Day. I thought to myself that she wanted to collect her presents and be treated to a nice meal. I have no doubt that she enjoyed those things, but looking back I realize that Mother’s Day was a day that she felt a strong sense of belonging here. What she really showed up for was time with the me and the boys.
How happy it would make me if she could show up today. I imagine that Sara would come over to meet her, or that we would all go over to Josh and Irma’s. Mom would be so excited to meet Brainy Bird’s girlfriend. My mother would adore Josh’s mother. Mom would admire the two bouquets of roses that my significant other gave me for Mother’s Day. She would see the yellow roses and launch into the fact that yellow roses are her favorite, and everyone thought she was out of the norm when she had yellow roses at her wedding. Of course, the reason that my love gave me yellow roses is because they were my mother’s favorite, and what could be more appropriate on Mother’s Day?
I imagine we would go for a walk in my neighborhood. She would love it here. My neighborhood is filled with enormous trees, modest, unique houses, and incredibly kind people. She despised the cookie cutter houses stacked close together with few trees in the suburbs. Perhaps, she would be living in my garage apartment, where she would have a front row seat to all of the wonderful things in life. She would drink her morning coffee on the peaceful back porch where she would visit with all of the kitties. She would take Potatoe for walks that were actually a reason to get out and socialize with the neighbors. And the greatest thing in life is that she would be watching the boys grow up.
How incredibly excited she would be that Brainy Bird is in Germany right now. She would revel in the idea of her grandson visiting our homeland. She would repeat for the hundredth time everything that she could recall about the time that my grandmother visited my cousins, David and Lisa, in Germany. Thinking back, I know that Mom went to Europe a couple of times with my father. I cannot recall if she visited Germany. Surely, she did. I do recall my grandmother going and hearing all about the big trip.
Little Chirp would be thrilled to have an audience for his Mother’s Day cooking. Today’s menu consists of filets, which he will be basting in a lemon compound butter with rosemary. For sides, he is making scalloped potatoes, chopped salads, and bread. I imagine that Mom and I would relax on the back porch, while Little Chirp cooks up our feast. She would insist on doing the dishes, so I would join her. This would remind me of her mom and sisters gathered together in the kitchen cleaning up after a holiday meal.
She would tell me how amazing it is that my boys know how to cook. I would quietly laugh to myself thinking, “Dad would agree after all of those years of your cooking.” One thing that Mom and I have in common is that we both raised our children to become way better cooks than we are ourselves.
Just as I am the happiest that I have ever been in my life, I think Mom would be too. She would be without any financial worries, as I have more than enough for the two of us. She would be out of her mind proud of the boys and their many accomplishments. At 5’2″, both of her 6’3″ grandsons would be over a foot taller than her. The boys are the exact same height right now. She would insist that Little Chirp is going to eventually be taller than Brainy Bird. She said this when Little Chirp was born. I think she is going to be right.
I wish that she was here. I would give her retirement life that she deserves. She worked incredibly hard her entire life. I deeply admire her work ethic. It also warms my heart when I look back on how much my mother truly appreciated the things, we did for her on Mother’s Day. Above all, she loved spending time with us. In the last chapter of her life, all she cared about was seeing the people that she loved. I remember my brother taking a couple of weeks off from work to drive her from visit to visit with family and friends.
I remember in our last days together that we would just sit in her room and talk. Fifteen years ago, Brainy Bird was in kindergarten and Little Chirp was a baby. We wondered together what the boys would be like when they grew up. She predicted that Brainy Bird would be a lot like my father, and she was more than right. She predicted that Little Chirp would be a charmer, and she was more than right.
I wonder if they celebrate Mother’s Day in Heaven. If they do, I hope that part of the celebration is a peek down to Earth to see all that one’s grandkids have become.
Happy Mother’s Day to you, Mom. Thank you for all that you gave me in life. I love you. Love, your middle child, the mother of the first of your five grandchildren.