Memories, light the corners of my mind...

Misty water-colored memories... of the way we were...

Ok, so I'm not Barbra Streisand. Get over it. But that song has been rolling around in my head all day. Surprised? You shouldn't be. I'm not ashamed to admit that I am a Babs fan. The Way We Were is actually one of my very favorite movies of all time. And it doesn't even have an HEA. Come to think of it, one of my other faves, Casablanca, doesn't have an HEA either. Hmmm, and neither does Gone With The Wind. Something for me to ponder. Another day.

Today is Mother's Day, and I wanted to share some things with you. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you probably guessed that this day is a little rough for me. I have six wonderful children, and I love seeing them get all excited about my special treats for today. But I also spend a great deal of each Mom's Day thinking about my mom. Sometimes that's not so bad, sometimes it is. When you grow up in a family where the mother was most probably manic depressive/bipolar, you end up with a lot of mixed emotions when it comes to memories of your childhood. Today, I'm choosing to concentrate on the good things. I invite you to step into my memories with me today, and revel in the happiness that I found there.

My mom...
- was one of the most beautiful people I know, with sparkling green eyes, honey blonde hair, and a thousand watt smile.

- had me when she was 18, so we basically grew up together. Are you familiar with the Gilmore Girls? That was us in a lot of ways, but without the cool history in the quirky town.

- celebrated every single holiday ever thought up by the folks at Hallmark. And even a few that they never could have dreamed.

- bought presents for every one of those holidays. Have you ever gotten a Groundhog's Day gift? I have.

- never went to work on "perfect days". And she kept me out of school for them too.

- would sometimes call in "happy", and take me for double-fudge brownie sundaes and hot chocolate at Denny's.

- knew just where to find the best shaped seashells in Newport Beach.

- also knew how to get a table at The Crab Cooker without having to wait.

- met celebrities through her job, and always got me autographs (Nadia and Bart were my favorites, I was a gymnast for quite a while).

- woke me up very early to witness the televised wedding of Lady Diana Spencer to the Prince of Wales.

- called me in the middle of the night when Princess Diana was killed.

- sent me money to take flowers to the British Embassy and sign her name in the tribute books (I lived in MD at the time).

- also called me when Michael Hutchence of INXS died, because she knew that I'd luuvvered him as a teenager, and once gotten a kiss from him as an adult.

- loved old movies, especially the ones we now call "Classics". She's the one that got me hooked on Babs, and Bogart and Bacall, and Vivien Leigh, and Audrey Hepburn, Clark Gable, and Spencer Tracey, and Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, and just about any other person that starred in a movie that has since been techni-colored by Turner.

- called me every single year of my life at exactly 12:40pm on my birthday, no matter where in the world I was.

- always made my comfort food, chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes and gravy, whenever I came to visit. Every single time.

- had this unique ability to find the absolute most perfect gift ever, for every person, for every occasion.

- bought me a calendar every year for Christmas. Every year.

- often told me she was proud of me, even sometimes when I didn't really deserve it.

- welcomed my husband, a Yankee almost 5 years my junior, into our Southern family with open arms.

- loved my children with a passionate devotion that I sometimes secretly envied.

- used to tell everyone that I was her best friend.

- would do things like make a jumbo shrimp cocktail and serve it with chilled wine, and put Van Morrison on the stereo. At 2pm. On a Tuesday. And share it with me. Just because.

- once took me and my three oldest daughters to New York. To see Cats on Broadway.

- taught me, through things she always did, things she never did, and things I wished she'd done, how to be the mom that I am today, a mom that passionately adores all six of her divinely beautifully perfect children, and wants nothing more than to be the very best mom ever.


My life with my mother was not all peaches and cream. We had some rough spots, many very rough spots. There were times when I did not like her. At. All. But I wouldn't be the mom I am today if she would have been one single bit different than she was. For that, I am eternally thankful.

And I miss her.

A lot.