Christy gave us this sibling assignment: " We are
approaching the one year anniversary of Mom's Celebration of Life. Reflect on
life with our mother."
Getting To Know Mom Through Another Lens
I feel like I really didn’t see Mom for who she really was
until I was an adult.
Is this typical?
Mom was mom. It was
almost as if I didn’t notice her personal qualities. Her characteristics. Her passions.
Her personality.
I think the first time I was surprised by Mom doing
something was after my first daughter Molly was born. All of a sudden, Mom is being playful and
rolling around on the floor, trying to get Molly to roll over. I don’t think I had ever noticed this playful
side of Mom before.
When we moved back to Kellogg 18 years ago, I feel like I
learned a lot about Mom through other people’s eyes. When I would be out and about in the
community, people would always ask about Mom, and how she was doing. She had just finished up chemotherapy for
breast cancer, and was also doing radiation at the time we moved back here, so
people were concerned about her.
People would share with me stories about Mom. They shared how they loved her sense of
humor. They shared how she was one of
their favorite teachers. They shared
about the fun they had with her when they attended an event together.
The stories went on and on.
And I started seeing Mom in a different light. I started seeing these qualities in Mom for
myself. I started enjoying her sense of
humor. I started enjoying going to
events with her. I learned all kinds of
things from my mom.
I am fortunate to have lived in the same town as Mom for the
last 17 years of her life. I am glad my
daughters were able to spend time with her as well. They all hold special memories they spent
with Grandma Mary.
This experience has made me more conscious of sharing my
love of people with their family members.
Often we see people through a different lens than family members do, and
sharing our love and joy of their loved one may help them see them in a
different light, and strengthen that bond.
Because that is what happened to me….over and over and over
again.
No comments:
Post a Comment