Author: bobbibowwoman
Remembering our Mothers
On Tuesday, I blogged about receiving. This blog is more about remembering. Each Mother’s Day since his mother’s passing, Robert has followed a certain tradition. His mother loved flowers and in particular rhododendron of every color. Mother’s Day morning Robert circles the house and begins to clip a little here and a little there, creating a bundle of whatever is blooming well around our house. He does not want store bought. He wants to bring our home to adorn her headstone. Depending on the Oregon weather we have more or less flowers to share. He mostly snips the Rhodies and azaleas that turn our yard into a color-fest around this time. We drive together to the cemetery and Robert takes care arranging the flowers. He has his private moments.
I do not yet have a tradition for Mother’s Day. I am still surprised when I pass a card display that I won’t be picking up a card for her. Yet, there are, around our home, many objects that bring her close.
This simple bell, which I keep in the bedroom, floods me with memories each time I pass. It’s the bell we would use when we were ill and had to stay in bed. We would ring the bell and help would be on its way: a tuck in, a bowl of soup, or 7-up.
There is no “right” way to remember mothers. Robert brings our home to her graveside. I bring mom’s objects into our home. We both remember in our own way, but are grateful for the love given and the lessons learned.
Mother’s Day
Felt lucky with the beautiful cards, flowers, hugs and messages for Mother’s Day. A hanging pot bursting with colorful flowers and elegant card from my husband.
I received a bouquet of flowers dyed with so many colors it looked like a party in itself. Along with Bryon’s flowers, Nora added her own card – with glitter, of course.
A beautiful plant arrived with hugs along with more lovely messages.
The plant was huge (about four feet tall) with blooms that will live in the sun for years. My husband has already lovingly planted the flowers where I can see them from our little deck.
Every single one of the cards made me tear up, except for the last one….which made me laugh so that I had to present it in video form. There is just no other way to get the full impact of a child’s imagination.
Happy Mother’s Day! I felt like a queen!
Sunday Comics
Empty Air – by Godistricksy
each
hung over
head-busting
alarm-filled morning
i wake and snooze
and snooze and snooze some more
then
falling out of bed
onto the floor where
sometimes i snooze some more
before
i scratch and yawn and slippers on
i sit to pee, too lazy to stand
nursing my phone in my hand
no messages today […]
Friendship
How lucky was I to get a phone call from a friend of mine…. such a globe trotter…who was in town. She came over and we had a 3-4 hour visit where I don’t think we took a breath.
So much to share. She had been a mentor and colleague of mine at the community college where we both spent many many hours at work and at home trying to make a difference in our students’ academic lives.
My friend, Lucy, has never retired. I don’t think one day or hour goes by without her coming up with a new plan to make the academic lives of students EVERYWHERE more successful. She hosts a study website. She travels around the country giving workshops or presentations to instructors. Add to that, she supports her friends across the country and visits family in Australia.
She continues to inspire me with her passion for learning and teaching others to make learning a part of their lifestyle.
Such a great visit. Thanks for stopping by, my friend. Happy trails.
Sunday Comics
May Day – by Lemon Shark
The fire of the sun In a spray of bright flowers Spring turns to Summer Petals float down from blue skies Dancing with me in the breeze May Day A spring holiday celebrated for millennia around the world, usually with flowers, crowning of a May Queen, and dancing around the maypole. Every […]
Small World
While I’m not a big celebrity watcher, I do enjoy a morning talk show “The View” where a small table to women discuss daily news. The one exception is that if I am star struck with anyone one the show, it is most definitely the most magnificent Whoopi Goldberg.
“The View” group often have guests that are usually there hawking their latest movie or book. Last week is was Caitlyn Jenner, arguably the most famous transgender woman in the US. She was talking about her new book.
Not being a huge fan and NOT keeping up with the reality train-wrecks on television (I do not keep up with the Kardashians.) I was half listening until I heard these two words “Graceland” and “Iowa.”
I came back into the room, backed up the DVR and listened. Before she was the famous Caitlyn….even before she was the famous Bruce Jenner- Olympic medal winner, Jenner attended a tiny college in Iowa, called Graceland.
My Graceland. That’s where I attended my first two years of college before transferring to the University of Kansas. Jenner? Olympic winner? Graceland?
I hit google and sure enough, Jenner received a scholarship to football at Graceland. I pulled out my Acacia yearbooks and his name was in the back of both my freshman and sophmore books. He stayed in a dorm named “Faunce.” I checked the pictures…..nothing. Either book. Hummmm. He was an upperclassman and I don’t remember him. But he did attend…. I checked all the yearbook snaps and BINGO! There he was on page 140 (pictured above).
Small world, indeed. The people you rub shoulders along the way….who knows their journey. Those in the stands cheering on the relay race. Did they know they were cheering on a future Olympian? Reality TV figure? Transgender Woman?
The world is a pretty interesting place, indeed.
Drawing on Words 