An Introduction
Well, I suppose first thing's first: an introduction to my mother. How do I describe one of the most important people in my life? Perhaps by sticking to some of her most defining moments--born in the 1950s, she and her brother and sister were raised by their mother after her father died of cancer when she was nine.
She found freedom as a young college woman in the driver's seat of her Volkswagen Beetle. An extension of her own personality, the car allowed her to traverse unconventional paths and play practical jokes. During this time, she met my father, and after a four-year courtship (too long, she always said), they began a marriage that has lasted thirty years. Keeping her maiden name, she took her new role of wife and, eventually, mother of three daughters in stride.
My father once told me that her main goal in life was to be a good mother. She had a natural connection with kids, and that made her a good preschool teacher and elementary aide; jobs that she didn't consider as work, but just excuses to play games, craft art projects, and give voices to picture books.
My mother was always up for a good party, even after she swore off alcohol as a new mother (to this day, I have only seen her with one wine cooler). Seriousness made her uncomfortable, but she had little tolerance for bullies and gender discrimination on the playground, especially when it involved her daughters.
She did what she could to better our small, rural community and was passionate about humanitarian projects. Her determination spearheaded a school recycling program at my elementary school, as well as took her into classrooms to promote the importance of bicycle helmets.
Though her emotions sometimes fell apart when she questioned her ability to be a mother, she held the family together through hospital visits, prolonged sicknesses, job-losses, relocations, and heartbreaks.
Yes, my mother is changing-- more-so in the last few years than possibly any other time in her life—but this is not the whole story. Perhaps the real bits of interest can be found in what remains the same.
Now a shadow of her former self, my mother’s emotions are possibly her most consistent characteristic. For as long as I can remember, her favorite have included Animal House, Blues Brothers, First Wives Club, and Arsenic and Old Lace. She still thinks they are hysterical, and, best of all, she still responds with a hearty, contagious kind of laugh that emanates from the soul.
