Mothers day

Everybody has a list of things mom did, but I have a short list of things mom didn’t do, as well.

My mom never took sass from any of us kids. The only issue she had with 4 kids was whether she could get the majority of us for what we did. (Pretty sure it was my brother David’s fault any ways!!!) I probably need to say “thanks” for the things she didn’t do first.!

Thanks for never getting us the Christmas present we saw on TV and getting us the ones we most likely needed. (’Cept for the clothes and toothpaste!)

Thanks for not taking us to Disney (Well, except Liz, but she was a girl anyways…) Thanks for not doing my homework. (I guess being a teacher, it would have been a violation of ethics or something.)

Thanks for not taking my side when I tried to kill Chuckie. (Pretty sure you were laughing, though…)

Thanks for not letting me get away with skipping school. (But did you have to drag me in???)

Thanks for not taking my side when I got pulled over and had 31 counts. (And I did learn. I parked at the top of the road when I got 17 counts so I would not embarrass you! But thanks for joining me at the police station.)

Thanks for not giving me my way.

Thanks for letting me suffer (most) of the consequences of my actions. (Especially making me return Lifesavers to Deluca’s Drugs.)

Mostly I guess thanks for not killing me…

I am so thankful for my mom. She put up with some pretty crazy children, an alcoholic husband, our friends and still maintained without valium! I know my brothers and sister agree, our mom was pretty awesome. I am pretty thankful, though I probably was not at the time.

Mom!

Thanks for the years of budgeting, making our clothes, preparing home cooked meals. (Stouffers and Swanson, as cool as they were when they came out, well…they never measured up.) I know we did not do well with jeans that had multiple patches…

Thanks for teaching me to eat everything…though I am not real big on sweet potatoes. (But I sure remember things like tongue, tripe and truffles!)

Thanks for not being mad when I locked the ducks in the garage…

Thanks for never letting us in the house on Saturdays!

Thanks for making us lunch until we got “jobs” and could get hot lunch. (Amazing, until we learned about germs from sandwiches left in the sun for three hours we never got sick…)

Thanks for taking us to all the cool places like Philadelphia, Schroon Lake and Boston to teach us history. For you and Dad taking us to amazing places like Ausable Chasm, Frontier Town, Catskill Game Farm (You were the only one upset about losing Liz though. Never could figure that out. Why did we check the bear and alligator pits first?) and that trip you took us to the Bronx Zoo.

Thanks for getting me addicted to books. (Too bad that did not remain my only addiction!)

Thanks for teaching me to read and do math and making sure I always had cool books and puzzles. (I will never forget you teaching me “times tables” on the kitchen table with clothespins.)

Thanks for learning to drive a boat and get a trailer into the water so we could have great vacations on cool lakes.

Thanks for making sure I always had the greatest birthday cakes and friends at the party.

Thanks for teaching me to stain, paint and sand furniture and trim. To do reeding and rush. I thank you for teaching me to sew. (Probably should have taught me to clean up better!)

Thanks for always making sure our friends had plenty of food when they were here.

Thanks for teaching me to read and write and to type.

Thanks for indulging my scientific aptitude. (I know the explosives was not a good idea.)

Thanks for teaching me to ski! (I know building the jump was not a great choice!)

Thanks for introducing me to all your cool friends and relatives. (I know, your rich ambassador friend did BUY me an etiquette book…But I think she asked for it.)

Thanks for letting me work and making sure I had food when I got home.

Thanks for all the times Dad got drunk and you took care of us. (Too many to count. But hey, we made out on the change in the back of the recliner…)

Thanks for keeping the family together to the best of your ability when you had all the reasons to leave.

Thanks for being a liberal Democrat and not disowning me.
Thanks for teaching me justice and compassion.

Thanks for being a good sport when we ran the well out of water with a water fight. And really, for not totally killing us for putting the lobsters in the bathtub and forgetting to tell you.

Thanks for only being mad for a day or so when we were wrestling and knocked over the hutch. (Pretty sure it was Dad and Larry…)

Thanks for being a forerunner of EZ Pass at the emergency room for all of David and Larry’s escapades.

Thanks for letting us all move to the country. (Was it because I tried to kill Chuckie?)

Thanks for sharing with me about God. (Even though for many years I thought He was a sock monkey.)

Thanks for making sure I got to go to Keewaydin. (Though how did Larry end up with half my money?)

Thanks for NOT letting me go the drug rehab of my choice!

Thanks for letting me pursue music and introducing to art. (Not so big on opera, but Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear were cool!)

Thanks for always making sure I had killer Halloween costumes.

Thanks for letting me go to Hopkins and the sacrifices you and Dad made to make sure I was there every morning.

Thanks for letting me part of your family. (I know what you were up against and the pressures of the time.)

And I guess, most of all thanks is for you accepting Jesus and knowing I will see you one day. Either here or there, but we will see each other again.

The list could go on and on. When my mom died in 2001 from cancer, it was hard. But she left a legacy to my brothers and sister of a woman who lead the pack. When the school system “outlawed” corporal punishment, my mom retired after 31 years. She was not one to back down from anyone. (One time a drunken man broke into our home with a rifle. She calmly dealt with it. As 3 state policeman wrestled the man to the ground…Well, you get the picture.)

On this Mother’s Day many will be missing their moms. I will be one of them.

Miss you mom! Love you!