Today’s post is a guest post from my friend Jim Riedel. Jim doesn’t have his own blog but, trust me, he’s filled with opinions. Maybe those opinions will one day find their way into a blog of his own. Jim is most literally a Jack-of-all-trades. He’s helped me in more ways than I count. He is a friend of the highest order. He’s also a skilled and qualified real estate agent, amongst other things. If you’re in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area and are in need of a home, look up Jim.
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I have a spoon in the kitchen drawer that does not match the set. I will come back to this…
Mother’s day is almost here. A day set aside to appreciate the woman who brought you into this world. Nine months she carried you in her body….and then carried you on her body for even more months (too many factors involved to guess how long that was)… I was a shy little boy so she carried me for many…maybe years (not really). Anyway, nine months is about 270 days. If you gave her appreciation one day a year, she would have to live 270 years to be thanked for each day she “developed” you. But she didn’t stop there in development, did she? It is not the days in her tummy that we remember but the many years after that give us our memories of our Mom.
The spoon might be silver or silver plated, I am not really sure. It is tarnished a little…
I was the last child born of my siblings – 6 of 6. Mom was 35 when I was born. Not young but not old in the range of moms’ ages. Over a period of ten years she carried and gave birth to her children. It left its mark – for one, a scar clear across her entire belly. Back then, a C-section was a major incision, from one side to the other. Since my brother before me was born that way, I had to be too. They didn’t think mothers could carry out a natural birth after having a C-section. Thank God the medical field keeps improving so that doesn’t still happen.
The spoon has a really cool design on it. It is one of the reasons I like it….
I don’t know how women do it. It must be pain beyond what I can understand. I assume the memory of the pain must fade or no woman would have a second child. Not all women experience motherhood…that is, not all women give birth to a child. But even some women without children of their own experience “momhood” – those who care for and raise a child. An adoption makes someone a mom or an unfortunate accident causes an aunt to raise a niece. Sometimes that person may not even be a woman – a widowed father has to play the role of a mom on occasion.
Because of its design, it stands out in the drawer, it is really easy to find it among the other spoons……
My wife, Patty, and I don’t have kids. Circumstances were such that it didn’t happen for us. Sometimes I think that is too bad. Had we had kids, I know they would have had the best Mom I know of. I have seen her with her nieces and nephews as they grew up, or our neighbors’ kids, and sometimes even someone we just met, to see how caring and loving and fun she is with children of all ages. Patty certainly is a mother type; in fact she has hundreds of kids. You see, she has been a teacher since she graduated from college. She also trains kids in leadership skills at camps every summer.
I use the spoon almost every day – it is my tea spoon. Each morning, I have a large glass of green tea and stir the honey into the tea with it. Some days I take it with me to eat a yogurt on the go.
Moms sacrifice a lot for their child. That sacrifice mostly seems to be of her time. The sacrifice takes place when she nurses a newborn or rocks a fussy toddler, reads to a kindergartner, watches a soccer match, helps explain geometry, or looks over college applications. But she also takes the unexpected calls, puts life on hold to help a frustrated college kid, comfort a broken heart, or give advice to a son about a birthday gift for his spouse.
The spoon was probably bought at a flea market or rummage sale…..
So Thank you Mom. Thanks to all of you moms. Thank you for taking the pain, for your lack of sleep at three in the morning to welcome a scared little kid into your room, for the countless meals you made when you didn’t even know what to cook, for staying up to wrap all the Christmas gifts from Santa, etc., etc, etc.
I have almost lost that spoon on at least one occasion and searched everywhere to find it in my car or truck.
My Mom liked nice things – like jewelry, china dishware, silverware. She bought full sets and individual pieces. She passed away almost 19 years ago. The spoon was a single piece she probably got second hand. Now I have it. And I also have tea with her most every day.
Every mom is a lot like that spoon. She doesn’t match any other yet is like them all, probably has a little wear due to the worry she experiences for her children, she is the coolest design ever, and stands out to her own kids in any crowd…and you never want to lose her.
So maybe you are a mother or maybe a mother type. To all of you out there, know that you make a difference in this world when you love your children and show them love. They will remember you for the little things you did and the big things you did. They will remember when you were really mad at them….”those teenagers”….and when you made them laugh for something you always do that they think is goofy. They will remember you for the love you gave them. There is no more important role in this world than that of “Mom”.
One more thought to emphasize that last point. I actually have many “moms.” My Mom called me her baby. Yes, no matter how old I was she would introduce me that way, and for a while it annoyed this boy to no end. I would say, “I am not a baby!” But I think as a young child, I realized the importance of moms. I realized the importance so much so that throughout my life, I have collected surrogate moms: friends’ moms became mine because I would call them Mom too…and will continue to do so. I guess a shy little boy can never have too many “moms”.
Thank you for sharing Jim’s words with us. Who among us can’t relate to them? I just sent your blog to my high school tennis team.
What a great idea, Allen! I’m sure they’ll learn a thing or two. What a great coach you are!
Thanks for an excellent, thoughtful, tribute to your Mom and to others!
Your welcome. They deserve it, don’t they!