V. Hugh Lewis II/Jefferson Jimplecute
It is Mother’s Day. And one that hasn’t felt the same in over a decade and it never will again.
One’s mother is someone special – unique even – and once their gone, it’s never the same.
Mother’s are both a blessing and a special kind of curse. They love you unconditionally – no matter what you do, how much you accomplish, how many times you fail, or how much you disappoint them – they always love you.
Come August, my mother will have been gone 11 years. But she touched a lot of people besides me. I still hear friends say “I miss your mom. She was always so nice. I remember she used to …”
She wasn’t – but that’s not what’s important.
What’s important is she was mom.
You loved her. You hated her. You loved her even more.
When they’re gone there’s a void in your life. If you’re lucky, there’s at least one person who comes along and fills a part of that void. They become “mom.” They tell you what you need to hear – whether you like it or not. They become a person you admire and respect and go to when you just need a hug from mom. They don’t ask questions. They simply care. Thankfully, I’ve had a lot of “moms” over the years.
My mother was 40 when I was born, so she was both a mother to me and a grandmother like figure to the kids around me. I didn’t grow up with grandparents ,so I missed that experience. But the people around my folks were also older, and being an only child, I had lots of “grandparents” around me.
By the time mom was gone, so were most of them, but I was surrounded by a number of people who quickly stepped in and became “mom”. Most of them I’ve now lost as well, but I think of them just as fondly today.
As one gets older you forget the rough edges – or when you do remember them you chuckle about them. The strong memories are the extremes and hopefully there are more good ones than bad.
But that’s life.
Mother’s Day is a day one is supposed to honor one’s mother; treat her well; respect what she’s done for you; and show her a portion of the love she had for you.
But it’s also about taking a moment to think of all the “mom’s” in one’s life and do the same. And if you do, and you’re honest, you’ll find you have a lot of “Mom’s” to think about. And when you see them, don’t say anything, just give them a hug.
I know I do, and I will.
Happy Mother’s Day.