4,883 Days And Counting. . . .

Today was/is my Mother's birthday. I miss her. I have missed her for each of the 4,883 days since she passed away. At her funeral service, a dear friend of hers came up to me and said that "As long as you're alive, your Mother will never be gone. You're the image of her." What a compliment that was. Not because I looked like my Mother -- who I think was beautiful and graceful and elegant, which I am not -- but because she was a remarkable woman, and I admired her.

She made the most delicious spaghetti I've ever eaten. Try as I might, I've never been able to duplicate that taste. Everyone who had the pleasure to sit at her table when she made this signature dish remembers it fondly!She told me once that it was because she stuck her finger in the pot, and I'd never get my sauce to taste the same! She was right, though I still try.

When we were young children, our Mother made most of our clothes. She was a gifted seamstress and I can only dream of having her talent with a needle and thread! When a special occasion arose, she would literally make a new dress overnight, and it was always something special and charming and amazing. I don't know how she did it. I wish I knew.

And, she was a highly taltented craftswoman, as well, making intricately detailed dollhouses, which she furnished with lovingly handmade furniture, accessories, and decor. She created little fantasy worlds within those balsa-wood walls!

When it came to sports or games, my Mother was nearly obsessed! She loved her Atlanta Braves, the Dallas Cowboys (back when Roger Staubach -- a good family friend -- led the team), Olympic events of all descriptions, board games, card games, and Scrabble. We played Scrabble on the night she died. Even then, she not only beat us all, but she corrected the score along the way!

In the springtime, my Mother would grow the most magnificent flowers. She always had something colorful in bloom! And she decorated our home for every holiday, in the most spectacular ways! Even snowmen were special for my Mother. . .taking the form of the Incredible Hulk or some other unique design.

"Chocoholic" would be an apt description of my Mother, as well! Whether it was chocolate covered cherries, bridge mix, Tasty Cake cupcakes, brownies, or any other form of chocolate, she would enjoy it with gusto!!! The grandchildren all learned about fudgesicles-before-dinner from their Grandma. That, and jumping in puddles with their new Easter shoes! She loved having fun!

Water fights that ran throughout the house; food fights with mashed potatoes and orange marmalade; dancing on the coffee table to "Your Mama Don't Dance and Your Daddy Don't Rock 'n Roll"; driving endlessly, going on a 'lost' just to spend some time together; watching "Jeopardy"; camping; summers at Beverly Beach; wrecking our 1957 Ford stationwagon on the George Washington Parkway; hunting for the perfect Christmas tree; hearing her sing; holding her hand as she passed from this life. These are the things I remember.

She was a remarkable woman. . . .way ahead of her time. She was part Lucy Ricardo and part Lauren Bacall. She could make you laugh until your heart felt free, and she could stop you cold in your tracks with a single glare! And she was in her happiest element when being a Grandma! Oh, how she adored her grandchildren. . . .each and every one in a special and loving way! She wanted to live to see her first great-grandchild born. She missed it by such a short while. That generation will be cheated, somehow. They will only know her through their parents and the stories and the pictures and the love that passes to them.
I miss my Mother today, and wish that I could bake her a chocolate cake and sing "Happy Birthday" just one more time. I'd gladly lose at Scrabble. I'd like to hear her laugh.
I miss my Mother, but I remember her so dearly that I know she will always be with me, somehow. As long as I am living, my Mother won't be far.