Sunday, May 10, 2015

Happy Mother's Day

And so it began, in 1976 a beautiful, young, 28 year old woman, Wanda, gave birth to a little girl.  Wanda loved that little girl with all of her heart and that baby girl loved her.

After much cooing and soiling of diapers the baby girl noticed a teeny change in mommy.

Another baby was born just shy of two years later.

Wanda loved both of her girls.  She wouldn't let anything or anyone come between the three of them.  Those who tried regretted it dearly.  She taught these girls love, compassion, strength through adversity and equality.  They learned how hard things could be but that with love and family you could make it through even the darkest of times.

Those girls grew big and sassy but through it all they loved their mother.


Wanda put everything aside to make sure her girls were cared for.  She put her happiness on hold so her kids would have a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.

Wanda was beautiful, inside and out.  She had a wicked sense of humor.  She loved a bowl of ice cream and sitting down to watch Golden Girls with her mom, who she lived with and cared for.  She worked at the Help Center on Saturdays and would donate money so that she could get a bag of clothes to give to folks who needed them but couldn't get up there to get things themselves.  She cared for her mother who was her very best friend and she raised two, sometimes ornery, daughters who adored her.



In May 1999 she became ill and no one knew why.  After 8 days in the hospital, the machines fell silent.  Wanda's struggles were over, her pains were gone.  She left behind few bills, lots of material items, many many friends, family who adored her, people she'd touched with her kindness and two daughters who were lost in a sea of questions, sadness and loneliness with a deep dark hole where once had been her light in a long tunnel.





When my grandfather, mom's dad, had died mom told us "There are things in this world you won't understand.  Things that hurt and questions that won't be answered.  Papa is gone but part of him will always be with us.  He's always nearby and he's gone to build a home for our family in heaven so that we will all be together with him someday.  If heaven seems to far, think of it as Arizona.  It's a long way away but one day you'll get to go and we'll all be together where the streets are as gold and love abounds."

I don't remember any Mother's Days I shared with mom.  I remember cards and gifts but I don't remember what they were or her reactions.  A year after we lost mom we had her first grandchild, a boy.  Then sis had one a few years later, I had another one and then sis had another one.  Four grandsons staggered in age.  She'd be so proud of her daughters, their husbands and her grandbabies.  I know she's with us always and though Arizona is far away I know one day we'll all be together in the home she's helping build and adding rooms to for all of us.

Today is Mother's Day.
I miss mom to the depths of my being but I know that I have a wonderful sister, two fantastic half sisters and another half sister I have yet to reach out to (we've only just learned about her) that are all mother's celebrating this day.  Not just because we have awesome moms but because we ARE awesome moms.

I am fortunate, on this Mother's Day because I have a freaking fabulous husband who loves the hell out of me.  Even when I'm bonkers, he loves me.  I have two loonytoon children who are healthy, happy and love me completely (even when they are aholes).  I have a beautiful home and sunshine on my shoulder.  No matter what is thrown my way, I have abundant love in my life.  That was brought to me by a little lady named Wanda, est. 1948, born in me 1976, Tif 1978, Legs 2000, Seth 2003, Lil Bit 2005 and Sid 2007.





Legs and Lil Bit 2005, 2012 and 2014.

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