No Card

I didn't get my mom a card this year. I lived nearby for so long, that it was easy to get mom a card. Even if I waited until Sunday, I could go pick one up on the way over. We often went out for dinner with the whole family (all four of us siblings, plus spouses and children). That kind of tapered off as my parents acquired more grandchildren, and the moms stayed home with their own kids. My sisters-in-law probably send a card every year. I'm still not accustomed to not being able to go see Mom on Mother's Day.

Pretty lame excuse, I guess.

My mom and I were talking the other day about talent. She said she was never able to do anything artistic, and she wishes she had been able to draw, or paint, or make pretty things. I disagree with her on that. My mother never got into music, I think, but she has a lovely voice. Some of my earliest memories are of my mom singing pop music while she did "mom stuff" in the kitchen.

She also is that rarest of things, a really good listener. Mom was infinitely patient with her four little children, and even when we got to be older and more self-reliant, she had available whatever time we were willing to give her. As an adult, I really appreciate that rare talent, which really is a talent...you just can't hang it on a wall.

One of my favorite bloggers wrote this essay about her mother.

And I ripped this song from a CD (Windows Media Player required, probably) that the children sang in church today. I first noticed this song when an online friend posted the lyrics, but today was the first time in my 17 years as a LdS that I heard it sung. I cried.

Happy Mother's Day.