This morning I was thinking about my mom.
It’s the first day of February, the month that I was born. I miss my mom, we talk a lot on the phone but Rich and I moved away 7 years ago and sometimes I am momentarily sad that things aren’t what they used to be.
You know, I would just hop in the car and drive over. Any ol’ time, I knew I would always be welcomed. Sundays were my favorite day. We all went to church and then most of the time we would go back to my parent’s and hang out. Rich and I only had 2 children then so things were quieter. Dad would have the newspaper. The football game would be on. Mom would be busy in the kitchen. My brothers and my sister were still at home. If we wanted to talk, we talked. We just hung out, completely trusting, being together.
The only house I feel completely relaxed in is my parent’s.
On Thanksgiving day we were there and I started to cry a little because it felt so nice to sit on the couch and not be the one in charge. I was daughter again.
It’s special to think about MOM now and then.
To her you’ll always be
just a youngster at her knee.
Edgar Guest
Y
To her whose heart is my heart’s quiet home,
To my first love, my Mother, on whose knee
I learnt love-lore that is not troublesome.
Christina Rossetti
Y
When You Thought I wasn’t Looking
Mary Korzan
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You hung my first painting on the refrigerator
And I wanted to paint another.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You fed a stray cat
And I thought it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You baked a birthday cake just for me
And I knew that little things were special things.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You said a prayer
And I believed there was a God
That I could always talk to.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You kissed me goodnight
And I felt loved.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
I saw tears come from your eyes
And I learned that sometimes things hurt-
But that it’s okay to cry.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You smiled
And it made me want to look that pretty too.
When you thought I wasn’t looking
You cared
And I wanted to be everything I could be.
When you thought I wasn’t looking-
I looked. . . .
And wanted to say thanks
For all those things you did
When you thought I wasn’t looking.
Good to be Home 
This is so tender and sweet. You know how much I wish to be near my mom as well. But that’s not what God has for me right now. I love the poem at the end.
“felt so nice to sit on the couch and not be the one in charge. I was daughter again”
I know that feeling too, I love going home for the holidays.And because you had such a wonderful mom, it’s waht makes you a good mom also
I love the poem ~ your Mother looks so young!!
that’s what is so hard about losing my mom. There is no “Home” to go home to anymore.
Now I know what you were meaning…we seemed to be on the same page with the thought of mothers/motherhood. Cherish the love you have of home. So many, many people don’t have that. Oh, and may I wish you a happy birthday month!
P.S. I adore your little piggy!!
What a great tribute to your Mom —
how sweet! isn’t it great to be the daughter and not be in charge! I love going ‘home’!
btw, you resemble your mom!
Aw man! Now I miss my Mom, too! She is a LONG ways away! We do get to talk on the phone once a week. It is a blessing to have a good Mom and good memories.
Lovely post! You do look a lot like your mom!
oh my goodness, i’m sure you didn’t expect this but: i’m bawling! i live 13 hours away from my mom & i’ve really been missing her for the past few months! i was supposed to fly down to see her for her 50th birthday in december, but i ended up injuring my neck. i’ve rescheduled my flight for the end of february…but it’s not getting here quickly enough. your poem was beautiful, thank you for posting it! i’m still in tears.
my mom’s DA BOMB. she’s everything i wanna be when i “grow up”. she never gets upset. never once, never, did she yell at me when i lived at home…even as a teenager when i was a heathen! she just patiently loved me. she would sit by my bed & just put her arm around me when there were no words to describe my latest stupid act. my dad would yell. i would cry. once i was excused…i’d retreat to my room. mom would leave me alone for about 10 minutes & then she’d be there…just sitting next to me. sometimes for hours. : ) she’s been here for everyone of my children’s births & has stayed to help me care for them the first week of each of their lives. her visits are few & far between. she cares for my grandma…the way i will one day care for her…24/7 w/ hardly any breaks in between. that’s the love of a daughter & mother. thank you for this post.
much love,
mary
You and your mother do favor each other. What a sweet post, and so true!
What wonderfully well put thoughts. I totally know what you’re saying!
awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww you made me cry, what a sweet post. You look like your Mom
I tried to call you but it rang and rang, I wanted to sing loudly and out of tune!
Awww…how sweet. There’s no place like mom’s house and there’s nothing sweeter than my mom’s kitchen. Blessings to you!
It’s lovely that you have that close bond with your mom…this was a precious entry. That last poem is dear to me, Casey has a print she made in pre-school for Matt that hangs in our dining room, with that very poem on it. 🙂 *hugs* Love ya.
I totally understand this post, that is how I feel about going “home” too (even though it’s not home anymore)
Great post Shanda!
You favor your mother in the face. That’s nice.
I love this post – I miss my mom, too! 😦 Whenever I visit I just have to give her a loooong hug like I used to every day when I got home.
I love your post!!!!!!! You look a lot like your mom.there is a piggy following me around….. :o)Blessings,Angie
wow, your post was great. Totally makes me want to cherish every Sunday after church we spend at my parents. Basically it is exactly the way you described. And I too am only completely relaxed at my parents house.
What a beautiful tribute to your mom….and to all moms. My mom died when I was 30 and she was 54. I’ve missed her every day since.
This post makes me want to cry… I’m glad I can still spend my weekends at home… one thing that always amazes me on weekends is our “magic table”… things appear, we eat, and things disappear. Mothers are such “handy things” I say, and I wonder how they come to be so giving, and so servant-hearted, and I wonder if I shall ever be as good a mom as my mom is.
Thank you for sharing this sweet post! 🙂 Love, Heather
I don’t even have children yet, and I already experience some of that warm, comforting, relaxing feeling of “being back in Mom’s house.” Not being “in charge.” Everything already runs smoothly, stays clean, meals get cooked, and everyone is taken care of because of Mom. I guess that with the responsibility of children some day, I will experience that feeling with even greater intensity.