Moms In My Life

My, oh my, did I ever get lucky. . .

My mom was a Depression-era baby. She was born near Cedar Rapids, and always carried memories with her of all the small towns in the area - of the difficulties her family faced in that era - of her mother's heartbreak at some things that went with the era. Her first job, I think, was a part-time job at a movie theater in Cedar Rapids. For the rest of her life she was interested in the movies. Name most any flick from the '40s on - she'd know who the stars were, what the plot was, what her opinion of it was. (No, I did not inherit this trait. My sister, however, has it in spades.)

I think the thing that she exhibited that really stands out to me, and that I try to carry forward: Maybe you have a problem, some issue. The nature of the issue isn't important. The attitude you bring to that issue is critical. If all you're going to do about the issue is complain about it, you'll spend your life spinning your wheels. Don't even bother with the complaining. What needs to be done is confront, admit - then fix.

Mom (and Dad) smoked like potbellied stoves for years. She confronted - and stopped.

Mom didn't finish school the first time through. It became a problem for her when she wanted to get back into the workforce. She confronted - and graduated. Like parents, like kids: I didn't finish college on the first try, when Dad was paying for it. I thought I had a better idea. Actually, I was a homesick kid in Urbana-Champaign, and I wasn't ready for the place. But, eventually, I did get my BA. When the time for the graduation ceremony  arrived, my wife attended - as did all five of the kids. Confront - solve. Thanks, Mom!

I will be forever grateful to our Mom, and Mothers Day is a bit of a pensive day for me. She passed in September, 1997, and some of my day will be in thinking of her, and in prayers that God will be good to her. She never, ever doubted that. I don't either. I love you, Mom.

Now, my life is full of Moms. I'm thankful to my wife, Cindy. In June we will celebrate our 35th anniversary (Man, that's a lot of garbage to carry out!) We have five kids, four of them daughters. I now know the subject of raising daughters very well, but when we had our first one, this is how much I knew: 0. (I thought I knew lots and lots.) Cindy did have some teaching to do. I wasn't always an easy student. As you may have guessed from previous postings, living with me hasn't always been a day at the beach. If we have raised kids of whom we can be proud, thank you, Cindy! And if we have happy grandkids, thank you for that, also. I love you more than I can say.

I am thankful for my daughters who are Moms - who would do whatever it took to keep those grandkids fed, clothed, housed, safe. Although I'm told that this is a daily occurrence: Daughters remember a line I used on them. Daughters have sworn that they would never ever ever use those lines on their kids. Daughter uses those lines on their kids. Daughters catch themselves halfway through using said phrases and slap themselves in the forehead. (Be honest - it's not just my daughters that do that, is it?) Please believe me: I may have taught you a few things. You have taught me more. I love you, and have loved every minute of the time you've been with me.

Happy Mothers Day to my sister, Sheri - also a mom, and one of my heroes. Sheri does not think of herself as heroic. She is. IN CAPS. I love you!

I'm thankful for the Moms that I work with. To name names would be to forget someone that shouldn't be forgotten, so I apologize in advance.  But to Annie and Torrie, Jill and Susan, Darice and Tracy and Dianna and Julia and Anna and Amber Marie and Amanda and Katie and Leah and Charity and Trisha and Ravis and Sammye Ann and Ashly and Candi and Ealana and Trish and Tina and anyone else I'm not naming: Happy Mothers' Day! Thanks for showing me every day what strength and devotion really are

They're motherhood.