Mom

Today would be my mother's 84th birthday.  She was born January 9, 1930, and passed away in late January, 2010.  I thought about her today, more than I have in the past couple of years.

Perhaps that's because as I'm growing older, I'm experiencing more things that remind me of her - such as being a grandparent.  I also am reminded of Mom by the continual stream of gun violence tragedies.  I grew up in a family that had guns, and I learned to shoot and to hunt at an early age.  As a young child, I had toy guns and played with them a lot.

Mom had a rule about playing with toy guns.  I could pretend to shoot things - trees, rocks, cars, buildings, and even animals - but I was never to point a gun, even a toy, at another person.  If I did, it would be confiscated and I'd be otherwise punished.  I don't recall ever crossing that line.   I knew she meant it, and the lesson I learned was that it was wrong to shoot at another person.

I guess it's common to think that the things you are taught as right and wrong are universal, and to be surprised to find out that other people don't share the same values.   On this issue though, I think Mom was right.

I have a cold.  It has been slowly developing this week.  I noticed the first hint of symptoms on Monday.  There's a stage when you notice something that might be the start of a cold, but there's room for denial - perhaps it's just from the really cold, dry air we've had.  But by today, there's no doubt.  My body is trying to fight off a virus which has hijacked some of my cells to serve as viral replicators.  Being sick is another thing that brings memories of Mom, because she was always there to take care of me and support me until I felt better.

Mom's last few years were difficult as she suffered from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.  At times, during the last 2-3 years, I felt as if I had already lost her.  But as time goes by, I'm realizing more and more that she is still with me in many ways.  Thanks, Mom.