Friday, May 09, 2008

Da Count-Mom


She always wanted to be a mom. When she and Dad started trying to have babies she had all sorts of difficulty so they adopted me. Almost three years later she had the happy surprise of giving birth to my brother. She taught me to read before I ever started school. She was always of the opinion that if a child has an honest question they deserve an honest answer...and boy, did I drive her nuts with endless questions. She never brushed me off if I wanted to learn what she was doing. She taught me kids matter.

She's an accomplished seamstress and quilter. She's a pretty good carpenter too. She taught herself how to play guitar when she was a single mother with a crappy factory job wondering how she'd scrape enough money together for bills and food. Even though she worked for a greedy factory owner who regularly cheated his employees out of honest earned wages she managed to keep my brother and me fed and clothed through her resourcefulness and creativity. When we were teens she went to night classes to get some skills to land her an office job. She may just be an administrative assistant but she's the one who keeps all the computers and technology functioning in her office and the one people call when their machines go kaflooey. In recent years she decided she wanted to learn to play harp. Now she gets paying gigs on occasion. (Do harpists get "gigs?" Somehow it seems there should be a classier word...). She taught me to persevere and never stop learning and to find a way to feed your spirit especially when things are tough.

Even though her father was alcoholic and her mother was not really there for her when she was a kid she managed to forgive them and see the good they had, thus allowing them to bloom into being magnificent grandparents. Even though my Dad left when we were very young she'd never tolerate us speaking disrespectfully of him and she maintained a very close relationship with my paternal grandparents until the day they died many, many years later. They often said she was more of a daughter than either of their boys was a son. She taught me to avoid bitterness.

She painted our house purple. She builds crazy contraptions in her front yard to keep the birds from eating all the cherries off her tree. She sews up her own purses so she can put harps and butterflies all over them. She taught me to be myself even if it means being different.

She welcomed 4 of us back into the house (Isaac wasn't born yet) when we came back from Trinidad while my husband looked for work. She cares about my friends and how they are even if she doesn't know them well. She has always been there to help me or my kids if we needed it. She is a surrogate grandma to other little kids who need the extra loving (well, ok, and so she can get her own fix of little kid energy and enthusiasm now that mine are big kids.) She taught me hearts expand to make room for others.

Is she perfect? Nope. I could list faults and she could tell you all of mine. But she's my mom and she taught me we don't have to be perfect. We just need to keep trying and growing.

This week I'm counting Mom.

37 comments:

G-Man said...

Awww..
Trini, as always this is very moving and touching.
Home IS where the heart is, and I'm sure you will make her feel very loved and happy....
Have a great week-end.
xoxoxox

Phain said...

Twenty years from now, I hope The Girl says these same things about me. I want to always be her rock. Happy Friday my friend.

Blissfully Wed said...

Wonderful.

Sheri said...

wow - your mom sounds like a fabulous lady and I wish I had the honor of meeting her IRL. Tell her one of your cyber friends wishes her a wonderful mothers day and that she did a super job raising you!

James Goodman said...

Aw, that's a great count for a great mom, Lime. Makes me want to go call mine... :D

Cliff said...

I like this post. My mom has been gone for four years now, and I still miss her terribly. She went through a lot, including alcoholic parents. My mother is one of my heros, and judging by your post, your mom is a hero to you too.

EmBee said...

What a lovely way to honor your mom. How very lucky you are to have been the beneficiary of such a loving heart.

jillie said...

Lime that was just beautiful!! Warms my heart up so very much and the values that were taught I can see you are passing them onto your children as well. I think you both won on the day you were adopted!!!!

Happy Mother's Day Lime XOXO

furiousBall said...

wow, she played harp! that's so cool.

KFarmer said...

That was really lovely. Your Mom sounds like one true character of the finest sort.

Happy (pre) Mother's Day beautiful one. I hope your children treat you like the queen you are and give you lots and lots of chocolate (: or at least clean their rooms :)

S said...

Happy Mothers Day Lime!
That is such a cool shot of her with the harp. I didnt know about her harp!
Thanks for sharing.

S said...

OMG Lookit what I just found while trying to get Google reader....

http://limecretemain.blogspot.com/

Pam said...

lime-your mom sounds totally awesome. and she's right, be yourself even if you're different. i think different is better anyways :)

Anonymous said...

A very sweet count. So, Mom gigs, huh? Cool! (Gig... giggette? I think gig is classy where any kinda performer is concerned.) Cheers!

Anonymous said...

That's an Awesome Count!!!!! :-)

Craver Vii said...

She's a special lady; God bless her!

cathouse teri said...

Naw.. she sounds perfect to me. Or at the very least, purrfect.

Hey, I'm wearing a purple, tie-dyed skirt today! No shit! ;)

Akelamalu said...

What a lovely tribute to your MOM. :)

Suldog said...

Magnificent, Lime. A beautiful portrait of a loving woman. She obviously raised you right!

snowelf said...

Aww, Lime! I love your mom too. That's what kind of mom I aspire to be to my chilis too.
Happy Mother's Day.

--snow

barman said...

blogger ate my frillin comment. Now it will not show a verification word. Grrr. Lets just say I am touched and I see the very same type of things not only in you but also being passed on by you to your children. That is amazing.

Bunny said...

Your mom sounds like a fun and wonderful lady - you are lucky to have her! I think you learned a lot from her. She may not be your genetic material provider, but she is your mom in every way that counts!

SignGurl said...

I hope you are sharing this with her. I know it would mean a lot to her to know how you feel.

She raised an amazing woman :)

Cheesy said...

Bravo .. good daughter!

tsduff said...

"Just" an Administrative Assistant? I see nothing common about that job - it's mine too. Last month I actually took my first harp lesson - what a fabulous instrument! Your Mom is all right!

And, your cute curls were escaping at a young age - great picture :)

Mona said...

what a wonderful tribute to your mom !

I wish you all well

Lime, Thanks for your prayers and good wishes!

Ed & Jeanne said...

Nice ode to your mother! I ode my mother two...several dollars I believe...

Kat said...

That was just beautiful!

Dave Coulter said...

Lovely thoughts, lime!

Commander Zaius said...

Both my son and daughter drive me crazy with questions and when I think about it I love everyone knowing they look to me for information. Great and touching post. By the way we pulled out my daughter's clothes recently that she was wearing when the Chinese orphanage turned her over to my wife. Even though she is only five she then my wife started crying.

BBC said...

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY, LADIES.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful contribution to your Mom and as I've learn to know you: it shows very much what you are 'made of' Lime! There is so much love and care in this - much more important than to be 'perfect'!
Btw: great picture from the beach - you was (are!!) so cute!

Happy, Happy Mother's Day!

Moosekahl said...

Today's a bit hard for me. Mom and Grandma gone in a six month time span. Not that mother's day was ever a huge celebration in my house. it was one of those flowers and be nice to mom days. And if one of us was far a way, a phone call. Today, there won't be any phone calls. Just loving memories like those you listed about your own mom. Hold on to every single last one of them!

The Zombieslayer said...

She taught me to read before I ever started school. She was always of the opinion that if a child has an honest question they deserve an honest answer...and boy, did I drive her nuts with endless questions. She never brushed me off if I wanted to learn what she was doing. She taught me kids matter.


What an awesome mother!

She taught you to think critically and that your thoughts mattered.

This is actually a problem nowadays. My son doesn't always go along with the political correct crap they teach him at school and it causes a lot of problems.

Yes, harpists get gigs. I love the harp, and have seen harpists on more than one occasion. The thing is though, they do better in areas with money unfortunately.

She taught me to persevere and never stop learning and to find a way to feed your spirit especially when things are tough.

More really good qualities.

Even though my Dad left when we were very young she'd never tolerate us speaking disrespectfully of him and she maintained a very close relationship with my paternal grandparents until the day they died many, many years later. They often said she was more of a daughter than either of their boys was a son.

Wow!

And really cool she knows carpentry. Too many people (both men and women) in my generation are pretty much useless except for the stuff they were trained to do. If they weren't trained for it, they can't figure out how to do it on their own.

Happy Mother's Day!

Fred said...

I can only hope my three daughters remember their mother as fondly as you do yours.

Wonderful tribute, and Happy Mother's Day.

Jocelyn said...

You never fail to get me--especially by painting her as both very purple and very human.

Anonymous said...

love it Mich...very touching...i'll tell you recent news of my 'mother' when i get a chance ok...??? take care xxx