Mothers deserve the gifts, flowers, attention on their special day

Because we are living in such a limbo fog, sometimes it is hard to remember what day it is. That makes holidays difficult. As we approach Mother’s Day this year there will not be Mother’s Day at the park, or traditional family gatherings. That is all the more reason that our memories, our voices, the mail, and yes, our florists, should help to give the day some of the fanfare it deserves.

This past week, I have had the honor of asking people about their mothers in regards to two specific questions. What special qualities of their mother stood out in their memory,and how did they think she would have handled this current shelter in place? I could feel the veils of years part as they journeyed back.

For Victoria Ferreria Allen the quick response was faith, “My mother had a very strong faith. She lived through hard times. She lost my little sister when she was just five days old and then my dad just two years later. He was very young. It was her faith that saw her through. She shared that faith with us. She always told us ‘God knows and that he would take care of us. She taught us well. If she were alive today she would be fine, staying at home, cooking, baking, just trusting in her faith.”

Joyce Wenig describes herself as an introvert, and her mother was very gregarious, “ I admired my mother’s people skills. She belonged to many clubs, was active in church. Mother loved to be around people. She spent her entire life educating herself, and that impacted me. If mother was here now she’d be cooking, calling people, carrying on. That’s what she knew how to do; carry on.”

Chuckling, John Spevak said that if his mother were alive now she would probably have him wrapped in cellophane and locked in his bedroom to keep him safe. “Mother was very protective of me. I remember how she worried about polio when I was young. My mother was such a fantastic cook! And she was very kind to her mother, who was a widow, and her brother. She taught me family loyalty. Mother was very devoted to her religion. She gave that gift to me.”

Carmen Miranda sighed, “ Oh, how my mother could bake. When I would be walking home I could always smell something wonderful. I have most of her recipes, but to me they never taste as mother’s did. I think my mother would have problems with being sheltered in place and she may not have handled it well. Mother was not a person to be shut in. She would have just sat down to embroider I guess.”

Jean Willis said it was her mother’s love of reading she remembers most. It helped give Jean her own love of books,”Mother read to me every night and always chose just the right books . Mother was also very creative when necessity called for it. We never had much money so she would find a way to make do. At Easter she would use soup plates, as we could not afford the baskets, instead of colorful grass she colored homemade popcorn, and our candy was homemade Rice Krispie treats. I remember her grabbing a blanket at night and we would go outside and stare up at the stars. One time she woke me up in the middle of the night so I could see the North Star. If she were alive today she would probably be calling me all the time, asking me to come over, even though I couldn’t.”

Marion Lisotto says her mother’s beauty and love for adventure are what stands out most: “I am sure my love of travel comes from her. She was a very devout Christian. If mother were alive now she would keep herself busy calling people to lift their spirits. Yes, she would be trying to lift people’s spirits and offer support for them.” Linda Allegretti’s words came quickly,” My mother was a good person who would give to anyone who needed it. But my mom was a real character as well. Now she would probably say you are all nuts. I’m not going to wear some goofy mask. She would just want to go to the casinos.”

Funny how memories of food, and our ever powerful senses of taste and smell, seem to be ingrained in all of us.. Certainly no one could cook like my mother. I swear sometimes I taste her fudge in my dreams. From our mothers we learn traditions which many of us strive to carry on. It can be the love of something they loved, like travel, cooking or reading, that helps to keep mother memories alive. In many of us our faith was planted by our mothers, who helped it grow, knowing it was the best legacy they could leave us.

As we prepare to honor Mother’s Day, let us draw close to our heart the warmest of feelings toward our own mothers, as hopefully our children will do. I am not sure who said this, but, it goes, “God could not be everywhere so he created mothers.”

So this Mother’s Day, let’s thank God for that gift, and let’s toast mothers everywhere!

This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 1:32 PM.