With quarantine, most people won’t get to spend Mother’s Day with their mom.
Some people I know are probably thanking their lucky stars. They probably don’t even want to bang out an obligatory Zoom call.
That’s not the kind of people in my circle.
My friends are wishing they could hug their moms. Here or in heaven.
I am so lucky that not only do I get to spend mom’s day with my mom, but that’s how I get to spend every day.
There was some time early on when I had enough with all the togetherness. When I lost my patience all too easily, not knowing she was hiding a lot of illnesses under her sweet demeanor.
Today I don’t take her for granted.
I buy her whatever she wants (mostly decorations. And flip-flops. And flip-flop decorations). Take her everywhere with me. Run every errand to make sure she’s not in a store with these Cootie people. Feed every animal under the sun with her and indulge her special recipe bird seed that requires four different stores to concoct.
I always fear that we won’t have infinite chances for do-overs. So I want to do anything, everything I can for her, whenever I can.
So I asked what I could do for her this Mother’s Day.
She said she wanted a sparkling bathroom. That’s it.
So that’s what I did. Left her a Mother’s Day card in there — I really am not a card person but I know it’s important to her — and she cried with joy over the room and the words.
I’ve always gotten along well with other people’ moms. More so than the people I went over to the house to visit.
There are a lot of cool moms out there. But never once in my life did I ever say, I wish my mom was like this or that one.
I was always happiest with the one I picked.
Still true.
It’s been a weird half-year, after a half-great, half-awful 2019. Mom is the reason I am still here, still sane, still smiling, still thriving. I owe her more than ever right now, not that she would ever think that.
I hope I get more chances to be good to her. A lot more.
When I say my prayers at night, she’s always at the top of the list. I thank the heavens that I’ve had her this long. I ask for her health to be better. I wish to be able to give her an even better life.
You know what she prays? She thanks me for giving her better than she ever thought she would deserve.
She’s sleeping right now in her clean room right now. And I’m hoping that, no matter how cruel the world is to me like it has been to her, that I follow in her footsteps and never lose my softness or sweetness.
That will really be my biggest and best tribute to her.
That and feeding every animal who will sit still that I ever come across.
I guess my own Mother’s Day gift is becoming my mom. And I am quite OK with that.