The Color of my Mother's Life.

Because I could write endlessly about how amazing my mother is,

on Mother's Day

I sat down and chose just three things

that remind me of her:

  1. Vitamin C

Sniffle,

Sneeze,

Cough,

Wipe your nose...

my mother will ALWAYS ask,

"Have you taken any vitamin C?"

My mother should be the spokes-person for vitamin C.

She frequently worries me because
a common scene when she is driving is her routing through her purse
trying to find her constant purse companion,
her bottle of vitamin C
so she can down a few with a gulp from her water bottle.

It can be quite unnerving.

But the Vitamin C bottle doesn't just remind me of itself,

it rings of her heart:

Mom has the sincerest love for being healthy
and seeing those she loves be healthy as well,

and finding the natural means to do so.

I used to get bran muffins,

carrot sticks,

and peanut butter with jelly on wheat bread in my lunch.

Try trading a bran muffin for a twinkie in the school cafeteria.

I love to tease her about this,

but really,

I know she loved me and my future

more than she wanted to gratify my sweet tooth.

She is always reading and learning about health
and applying it.
But she is also always reading and studying to
better herself as a child of God,
and applying that as well.

My mother's love is sincere,

not spoiling or gratifying.

She taught me to love truth

because it is more useful and needful

than gratification.

This reached out into so many areas of my life.

Thank you, Mom.

2. Post Cards

I don't get many postcards,

do you?

But I can always count on getting a postcard,

well, the kids can if not myself,

whenever my mom goes away to

anywhere.

If she goes up to visit relatives for a holiday

or on a vacation

there will always be a postcard arriving in the mail.

She wants us to know she's thinking about us,

loves us,

wishes we were there, too.

My mother takes the time to show the people in her life that she cares.

She's a giver

of her time

as well as

her things.

 My mom had several "jobs" when I was growing up,

but they were all mainly out of kindness.

She babysat little kids

or babies,

but did not make enough money from it to speak of.

She helped a young woman who got pregnant while unmarried

by babysitting her baby

so that she could have a job and better her circumstances.
We loved that baby like it was our own.

She helped at a preschool where we attended school

without being paid anything.

She saw that there were things more important than money.

Mom chose to work at a grocery deli for a little while

so that she could have a little extra spending money.

After missing a school program of ours,

she quit the job.

She wasn't going to miss out on her kids' lives.

She was and is always there for us.

Two days after her cancer surgery on her face,

she called up and said she'd go shopping with me,

knowing I needed to get my plant shopping done.

 I am torturous to go plant shopping with...

 but she was willing to endure:

with a happiness that she always has.

 My mom taught me that the people in my life

are more important than anything money could buy.

She taught me that the simple things,


like a postcard,


can be the greatest source of a rich life.

Thank you, Mom.

3. The Color:

Green.

Figuring out a color to describe my mom is easy.

Anybody who knows my mom

or drives by her house

knows that she loves trees.

She has trees planted everywhere in the yard:

red maples, tulip trees, pine trees, crab apples...

at my plant sale the other day

we had a good laugh when my mom announced her purchase of the day:

12 trees

 (my dad has a bad tendency of mowing over trees;

 let's just say that it's been a life-long

  issue between the two of them).

Mom's house is alive with plants.

She has the healthiest house plants of anybody I know.

But it doesn't just end at vegetation.


 Mom is a nurturer.

I have never met another person that never sits down like she doesn't.

Mom is always doing dishes or sweeping

or making tea.

She never has a pile of laundry to get done,
because she keeps up with it...

except after vacation,

 and the washer starts filling up about two minutes after she gets through the door.

 

 She is always picking up,

straightening up,

making the kids something to eat,

washing my dishes.

And her care follows through with her looks to.

She takes care of herself and always looks beautiful.

 My mom has taught me that everything we touch should be

better because we have been there.

 Her house and life exude a welcoming

listening,

cozy atmosphere.

 Thank you, Mom.

I have learned so much from you.
To say that I love you seems an understatement.

Happy Mother's Day.


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