Dear Mom e-Letter

Volume 2, Issue 7
Happy Mom Memories for Mother's Day
May 2007

Dear Reader,

It's 7 a.m. Birds chirp and the sun shines, a welcome sight after days of rain. Tulips decorate my yard with red, yellow and white as I enjoy my morning coffee. It's spring--time to grow gardens, plant flowers and enjoy every moment of the great outdoors in our own backyards.

Just before the five days of rain, my grandson and I decided to plant “our” garden, as Gavin calls it. We selected seed packets of lettuce, carrots, beets, beans, cucumbers, flowers and a bag of onions. Recording the purchase in my checkbook, I realized it was May 3. Mom's birthday. I asked Gavin to guess whose birthday it was, and after telling him it was MY mommy's birthday, and that she's in Heaven, I decided to use Mom again.

One of the letters in Dear Mom: Remembering, Celebrating, Healing, is about feeling like a used mom. Being a mom is like going from being a new car to a used one. Hard work and worries turn the shiny new mom into a worn, used mom.

Mom worked hard in her garden, growing most of what we ate. And it was delicious. She was a great cook, meticulous in food preparation, clever in design, superb with flavor. Thinking of Mom's green beans, onions and vinegar still makes me drool.

How hard did she work in the garden which was at least 10 times the size of mine? If my back hurts, what did hers feel like? And just how many bug bites did she survive?

Paying for our garden seeds, I told Gavin that Grandma Betty loved to garden, and I was sure she would be our “Garden Guardian Angel.” We planted, sang our “Grow, grow, grow” prayer, and said “Amen!” while our garden guardian angel smiled up above.

Yes, Mom, I'm using you again. I'm telling Gavin about gardening with you--how much fun I had picking peas in your garden, how great raspberries tasted (especially when I knew I wasn't supposed to pick them), and of course, about your great rhubarb torte.

Making rhubarb torte is an annual rite of spring I describe in Dear Mom, where you can find Mom's recipe. Picking rhubarb with Gavin just made it even better. And eating it was the perfect reminder of wonderful mom memories, just in time for Mother's Day.

Remember and celebrate the happiest memories of your mom this Mother's Day. If it's food, gardening or just enjoying a cup of coffee and conversation, let yourself use that memory and stories to comfort and share the values you learned from Mom. It's a great way to say Happy Mother's Day!

Thanks for sharing the journey!

Dee Dee