My mom was born in 1921 Here are some of the birthday and mother's day cards I wrote her over the years:
August 2000
Today is my mom's 79th Birthday. I hope we can celebrate her 80th next year, like we celebrated Grandma Nolan's birthday, with a big family reunion.
My mom has always amazed me. This has been one of her most amazing years ever. With incredible grace and courage, she has handled all the trials of this year--her pelvic fracture, her sternum fracture, her Parkinson's diagnosis, Stephen's illness, my divorce, Richard's job loss. The optimism, flexibility, and courage she is demonstrating in preparing to leave 827 Henry Street is terrific.
I have always been tempted by the idea of writing my mom's life history as a study of the changing conditions of women in the 20th century. I hope her saga will continue well into the 21st century.
I usually write my mom a sentimental birthday card and Mother's Day card each year. I want to share with you some of the things I have written over the years.
May 1985
"I am so glad we decided to come back to share our lives with you. Being able to call you almost every day and see you several times a week is even more precious than I thought it would be. I so appreciate your calm good sense, your ability to put my wildly fluctuating emotions into perspective, your constant support. This is your first Mother's Day without your own mother. I can imagine how desolate I would feel. I need you as an intellectual companion, the only person I know who reads the same books I do. One reason I couldn't tolerate Maine was that I was 450 miles away from my best woman friend who was also my mother.
"No doubt you will enjoy watching your difficult adolescent daughter handle adolescence from the other side. No doubt we will gain many insights into our relationship watching my struggles with my daughters. One of my favorite fantasies is that we should write a book together on mothers and daughters.
"I love you more than I can say, but I will keep trying to say it."
August 1993.
"I wish I could think of an original way to tell you how much I love you and how grateful I am for all you do to make it possible for me to fulfill my dreams. You've always believed in me and been willing to invest love, time, and money in me when I was pessimistic about myself.
August 1994
"I wish I could find words to express my deep love, gratitude and appreciation to the most loving, forgiving woman I know. I want you to know that I will always be there for you as you've been there for me, no matter what the future holds. You are the most splendid example of aging well I would want my daughters to have. I hope you realize how deeply you are loved, cherished, and marveled at by all of us. Sometimes we tease you, but we always listen to your loving words of wisdom and experience.
August 1995.
"Long ago I ran out of adequate words to convey the depths of my love, admiration, and gratitude. Maybe I should look through poetry books, but I suspect poems about mothers would be inappropriately sentimental. No one knows better than you how far removed from simple sentimentality mother love truly is.
May 2000
"I can never thank you enough for all your love, commitment, patience, understanding, supreme generosity. But I hope you will accept my giving you a little bit of the tremendous gifts you have given me. I'm really looking foward to our getting closer as we move in together."
Happy Birthday best of mothers.
Love
Mary Jo
No comments:
Post a Comment