Photo by Nicolette Fisher
Since I did not post a Mother's Day blog, I thought I'd write about the nurturing relationships in my life since they are so heavily on my mind lately.
I miss being within close proximity to Mom. We have not lived within the same state for 10 years. She always made sure I had a new pretty dress for dances, homecoming, proms, even sacrificing her own needs. I regret that I have not been able to join her for weekly Sunday dinners and can't remember the last Mother's Day I have shared in her presence, or even Thanksgiving with family for that matter. The holidays just go on by one after another without them. I've always been independent with an agenda set out to conquer the world, but it appears that nothing has really been conquered. My fear is that time will slip away, and something may happen and I will never get that time back with my mother. The same goes for my grandmother (and father for that matter, but were focusing on women, hence the holiday). To be quite honest, the past six months have been very trying, and I have never needed them more.
My friendships with great women are far and few, and the oldest and dearest remain true, as per the saying, "make new friends, but keep the old..." A few of my dearest are at the age where they are becoming mothers, and I would like to congratulate them. One gave birth to a baby girl a few days before Mother's Day, one discovered she is pregnant the week before Mother's Day, and another friend who I was a bridesmaid in her wedding in November is also three months along. I am overjoyed for them all!
But a word about my newest friend, who is coincidentally the oldest... in age. Sheila is 76 years old. I've written about her before, and have become so grateful for my friendship with her. We met while traveling in Switzerland. We were roommates on a tour. She calls me a few times a week from Birmingham, England and sounds like the Queen of England with a little Dutch boy hair cut. She was the personal tutor to the children of Coco Chanel's sister in Paris. She usually calls to discuss the latest movie she has seen at her local cinema, the time she bought a violin even though she has no idea how to play, or reminisce about her life. I love visualizing her little brick cottage with a matching blue door and wooden shutters, with Magnolia trees blooming all around. I listen in envy as she describes her first job at Cadbury and the fields of Daffodils that surround the factory, and how she would sneak chocolates like an I Love Lucy episode. We share a love of traveling with trinkets, photos, and book exchanges. She has no children or grandchildren, and I have been blessed to extend my arms to one more maternal role in my life.
Lastly, my two grandmothers, who both have so much love and history. While I have a slight language barrier with one, I hope my mom shares as many stories about her as she can remember one day. Even though this grandmother has such a large family and countless grandchildren, she would always sneak me a little money here and there while I was in college as the first generation college grad, which was a big deal. My other grandmother has always been like a second mother, as I lived next door to her when I was very little. She would rub my back and sing to me as I fell asleep, and I've never known a more giving soul, who has shown her entire family nothing but love and endless devotion.
So, dear women in my life, thank you for being there, and being my family. I'm doing everything in my ability to make a life with a more flexible schedule to spend more time with all of you.
Happy Belated Mother's Day!
