Those Special Moments With Mom......

I was thinking this morning about my Mom as I am sure many of you were thinking about yours.....

The earliest memory I have of Mom was sitting on the kitchen table helping her make Christmas cookies. We were living in a 5th floor walk up in the Bronx.  The memory is so brief....just a split second but I can see it as clear as if it were yesterday,

Fast forward to 6th grade graduation from PS 71.  Mom and I shopping at Alexander's on Fordham Road in the Bronx.  She selected a pink dress with white polka dots.  I was also allowed to get a pair of shoes with a very slight heel.  I loved that dress and the shoes made me feel so grownup!!

Then we hit the years when Mom knew nothing.....absolutely nothing......

I was certain she could not understand anything I was feeling as a teenager.  She was tough, she was strict and she was ....right.  A fact I only realized years later.

We shopped together for everything from prom dresses to my wedding gown to my daughters crib.

There were times I didn't like her.....I am sure the feeling was mutual.

As I got older.....Mom got smarter....

She was able to give me advice on a million topics....from how to take care of Jennifer to how to make dumplings that floated on top of a pot of stew.

I am sure the fact I  had used tape on a few occasions to fix a hem that had fallen vs sewing it left her with the feeling she had failed,  I had learned to save everything that needed to be hemmed or mended for her visits.

I made her crazy by ironing everything,  She would say "Donna, if you would just take things out of the dryer when the buzzer goes off".  You know what ....she was right.  I finally decided to do as Mom suggested and I don't have to iron much any longer.

She told me to buy detergent and other things at the Dollar Store.  She said "you could get things much cheaper."  You know what....she was right.

And she was right about so many other things......

How did she get so smart??? When did she get so smart??

When she left us 5 years ago, I had no idea the void it would create in my life.  I would give anything to be able to call her and say "Mom, come spend a few weeks with me".

But life isn't always fair.....and cancer never plays fair......

I had gotten into the routine of calling Mom every night on my way home from work.  Sometimes we didn't have a lot to say.  Other times , I would sit in the driveway with the car running and continue to talk.  After she left us, the rides home seemed empty and lonely and sad.

One of my best memories of Mom was at my nephews wedding where (with some encouragement) she danced the Hula to the Hawaiian Wedding Song.  She was nervous and graceful and all of a sudden the years slipped away.

She became the belle of the ball.....this is how I will always remember her.....

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

See you next week........