DW's Blog

Mom

by DW Green — May 9, 2018

What I meant to say.

Well, Mother’s Day is Sunday. The official day to honor our moms. Though I think every day is a day to honor mom. I love my mom. I miss her. I think of her often. She was loving, and kind, understanding, and thoughtful. She trusted her instincts and intuition. I am blessed to have had such a wonderful, beautiful, loving and caring mom.

In an excellent book written by Michael Murphy called What I Meant to Say, he describes saying good-bye to his mother as he leaves her home after a Thanksgiving dinner. It’s all small talk as he makes polite excuses for having to leave, which prompts the following tribute.

What I meant to say was… How can I possibly say good-bye to the person who was the first to hold me, the first to feed me, and the first to make me feel loved? From a distance I watch you move about, doing the mundane tasks that to everyone else seem so routine. But for me, the tasks you lovingly completed year after year built and reinforced the foundation, the structure that made my world a safe and comfortable place to grow. All that I am and all that I have can be traced back to you. Whatever accomplishments I have made along the way would not have occurred without first believing in myself. And you, you were the person who always believed in me. Now with a family of my own, I am amazed at the number of times I hear your words flow from my mouth. This ventriloquistic phenomenon was at first most irritating, but now warms me as I’ve come to understand that there is a part of you that will live on in me forever. When time parts us, I pray that you will reach across from the other side to again touch my face and whisper into my ear. For your warm and gentle presence in my life… for this, I will always be most thankful.

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, those living and those who have passed away. Thank you!