I have sat many times in the last week in front of my computer to write, but essentially stared blankly at the screen, thoughts swarming, but not formulating well enough to put down. Sometimes, life is just like that.... swarmingly (do you like my made up word?) busy, but not really slowing down well enough to take it in. 'Tis that season for me.
The goal is to take some time this weekend to formulate those thoughts a lot better.
Obviously, with mother's day approaching, my mom, the absence of her and the memories of her, are strong on my heart and mind. So while my "little moments" blog tends to be a time I sit and write about precious little moments from the week, today, it's dedicated to a plethora of little moments I recall with my mom over the years that make me smile.
I could likely write pages of these, as my mom was full of creative times that bring a smile to my face upon remembrance. But for today, here are just a few.....
- Sitting on the kitchen counter, stirring cookie batter with my mom (and sampling it), countless times, while we baked cookies (Perhaps why I love to bake so much....)
- Cups of coffee shared over conversation
- Countless hands of dutch blitz played, among the many games our family would play
- My mom being there for me for the birth of both of my children
- Little notes my mom would leave me in my lunch box over the years, or notes she would stick on my desk or tuck into a notebook for me
-Snoopy. Few people know my love of Snoopy, but my mom did. And she always gave me Snoopy card every birthday and many times "just because". I still smile when I see Snoopy, though I rarely get Snoopy things any more because no one really gets that like my mom did.
- Big hats. I never wore them, but my mom would wear them occasionally. You know the ones I mean? The big Kentucky Derby type hats... or "tea time" hats.
- Books. My mom instilled in me a love for reading. Mom would stay up for hours into the night because she simply could not put a book down. (I do not have that same gene, as I love to read but often fall asleep reading instead because the busy life does that...) Mom would read stories to us always growing up. She also told story after story. She was great at making them up and keeping us kids occupied with them.
- Songs. Mom had a song for everything. Literally. She made up songs to memorize scripture, to help with cleaning up the house, to be silly and make us laugh, to accomplish something... she would make them up or she would pull one out of her childhood and sing it to us. I loved all my mom's songs. Evidence of the joy within her
- Fresh lemonade. Not the hand squeezed kind, but nonetheless refreshing, crisp and cool lemonade is a strong memory in my mind. Mom would make this for us or for our "summer hired hands" on the farm, and they would sit under the trees in front of the house and have lemonade (or tea) on a hot afternoon.
- Breakfast. I have an experience few can probably say they had. We ate breakfast together nearly every morning before school. Sometimes it was hot cereal, like oatmeal or CoCoa wheats; sometimes just cereal boxes on the table. Every now and then it was eggs and sausage. And on Sunday mornings, often times it was muffins or box donuts... but we grew up eating breakfast together, and then hurried out the door. What a beautiful memory to have.
- My support system. My mom was always there for me. Whether it was to watch me sit the bench all my junior high years in the sports I tried to play, to drive me everywhere (I was not a sit at home child... I was always on the go between friends, church, band, drama.... ), my plays, my band concerts, my children's births, and in later years... all the events i became involved with, including my races, relay for life, and so on... the list could go on, but mom was always there.
The list could certainly go on. My life is full of little moments Mom provided me. I am so grateful for those. They make me smile every time I recall them. Mother's Day is a bittersweet time for me. There are tears shed in missing my mom as much as there are smiles had over memories recalled.
I am grateful for the many, many moments I had with my mom over the years.
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