Happy Mother’s Day – The Importance Of Sharing Our Stories
Posted on Sunday, May 13th, 2012
Happy Mother’s Day!
I hope today finds everyone in fine spirits. Mother’s Day has always been a wonderful celebration in my family. Thinking back to assorted gold spray-painted macaroni treasures to plants rooted in cleverly disguised dishwashing soap bottles, each year brought a new ‘treat’ for Mom.
Then, as the years went by, we siblings jockeyed for position to be the one to pay homage to Mom by taking her out to brunch, or dinner, or whatever. Poor Mom.
I know Mom cherished the simple gifts of our childhood, no matter how silly. Now here I am, dragging a painted macaroni necklace out of my treasure box and getting all weepy; my daughter’s gift to me. And I know my daughter does the same with gifts from my granddaughter and grandson. I guess we share a sentimental gene.
Besides a few treasured items, all I have of Mom is memories now. I lost Mom six years ago and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her. The quote I think of often is poignant and haunting. In Mitch Albom’s book, For One More Day, he makes the statement, “When death takes your mother, it steals that word forever.” It’s true. That connection, mother and child, only happens once, and is gone when your mother dies.
But…
We don’t have to let the stories and the lessons fade away.
That is exactly why I invited you, my readers, in last week’s post – What Mom Taught Me – to share your memories and the lessons you have learned, or are still learning, from your Mother and the other significant women in your life. I want to thank you for stopping by and commenting. I enjoyed reading all your comments and appreciate the time you took to tell us your stories. It’s so important that we continue to share these stories.
Because it’s sharing our stories that keeps our Mothers alive, and that’s the tribute I want to give my Mom.
But, there’s another reason to keep talking about our Mothers. Whether your Mother is still living or has left this earth, your relationship continues forever. We base everything we know and do as women and mothers on what we learned from the women who were most influential in our life. That’s one of the reasons sharing the life lessons we learned from our Mothers is so valuable.
We’re not only sharing nostalgia, we’re working through who we are.
As we grow older, the stories and lessons from the women who raised us create a solid foundation for aging well. As adult women, these stories help us to get to know our Mothers better, giving us sort of a peace. We put aside the childish dreams and the teenage angst and we finally, once and for all, see our Mothers as they really were – Women. Just like us. Good. Bad. And in between.
From what I read in the wonderful stories you shared last week, some didn’t get to have their Mothers for very long. Some have humorous tales to tell, while others have stories of extreme hardship. Yet everyone, regardless of how long they got to keep their Mothers or what the circumstances were, their life was impacted by their Mother. A Mother can’t NOT impact your life!
I know from experience that our fore-mothers were not always anxious to share their stories. Because of that, we lost many opportunities for learning. The lesson? Don’t be afraid to share openly what you have experienced. Your daughters and granddaughters will benefit from what you have learned. Our experiences are lessons that should not, and must not, be lost.
Now, on to the giveaway!
With a random thingamagiggy, I have chosen someone who will receive my ecookbook – Memory Lane Meals – which is partly a tribute to how my Mom cooked, and partly a celebration of meals we knew back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. You’ll find some old school picnic and cafeteria style casseroles in there and all sorts of foods you’ll remember from the good old days. And the book goes to:
Judy Scharf
Congratulations, Judy, and thank you so much for sharing your story and the lesson you learned. And thank you again to everyone who took time to honor your mother or other important, influential woman in your life by telling their stories. It means so much to me that you were willing to do that.
And, to show my appreciation for everyone who commented last week, you’ll be getting a little Thank You gift emailed to you in the next couple days. So watch for that. And thank you again. Have a very Happy Mother’s Day!
p.s. Would you like to find out a little something about my own Mom? Just click on About My Inspiration. There you’ll get a glimpse into some of the stories my family shares. What lessons have I learned? I guess overall I learned to be curious, to be interested in life. Thank you, Mom. I miss you. And Happy Mother’s Day.
Subscribe to RemarkableWrinklies.com by Email
You’re absolutely right, Patti! My mother (and grandmother) were stay at home mothers. They were excellent mothers and homemakers and I didn’t want to end up like them at all! Now, almost midway through my 50’s, I appreciate the sacrifices they made and the hard work it took to work inside the home and make their homes such beautiful nests. Now I want to be just like them! They were the perfect examples of the perfect mothers.
Thank you, Nina, for stopping by and commenting. Yes, sometimes the lessons our grandmothers and mothers shared in their stories wasn’t exactly what we wanted to hear when we were young. But, boy oh boy! When we get older we can hear their lessons – finally!
Thanks again, Nina.