Mother's Day

The very first memory I have of my mom was when I was probably three years old. Us four girls were sleeping at my grandmother's house, I mean Ma's house, and I fell off the bed in the pink bedroom. I remember mom walking in and I must have been crying because she picked me up, held me close and gently whispered soft words in my ear. Years flew by so fast that before I knew it, I was 37. Going to mom's almost daily for lunch had turned out to be something I (and I know she did) looked forward too. Ma had gone to be with the Lord two years earlier and for the first time, it seemed I finally had that bond with mom I had always longed for. She would always have my lunch ready on a plastic white tray...always with a glass of milk and a Little Debbie with whatever she prepared for me that day. Having an hour for lunch, her and I had a system to utilize that 35 minutes before I had to head back to the Bank I worked at. I remember being so stressed at the Bank and mom telling me to "hang on till ya get your 20 years in"! The conversation this day was about what she was going to do with her time, now that she's not taking care of Ma anymore. We talked about the Senior Center and trips we were saving for. Now, it was time to go and I walked to my car after hugging mom. Just before I get in, I skip back to her and hug her again and plant a kiss on her cheek. That was my calling card. She told me that after lunch with me one day, she had a Dr. Appointment and the nurse looked at mom and whispered "you have lipstick on your cheek"'. We got a good laugh out of that. I get in my car and back out of her driveway waving to her till I rounded the corner. That was it. Ganine found mom dead on the bathroom floor in the early hours and called me. There was a crack in the universe and it took me years to recover. As Mother's Day draws near, I see all the signs and I believe if I didn't have my son, I would probably crack again. I love being Clay's mom, and I loved being my mom's daughter. There's still not a day that I don't wish she were here, but I know now how selfish that is. When I see adults with their mom's, I just want to yell out "hug her as tight as you can because one day...". But I don't, I just think it. She was a good mom. A smart mom. A fun mom. Love your moms everyone...love them while they're here.