Memories are wonderful things especially those laced with the senses. A trip to the toy store still smells like McDonald’s fries to me because often a trip to McDonald’s preceded a trip to the toy store.
Many memories of growing up with my mother are sensory memories, the way her perfume smelled, the safe feeling of her warm arms or the sound of her laughter are crisper and clearer in my mind than the memory of where I put my mobile phone last night before I went to bed.
Memories are the way we remember whether something we experienced is good for us or not. Our memories are of the things we learned. I had no greater teacher or builder of memories than my mother. The three qualities she gave to me are compassion, perseverance, and independence. I learned these through watching the way she lived her own life and how she guided me through mine.
My mother made mistakes and allowed me to make mistakes. I had to suffer consequences for my actions and find solutions to my problems. I know through having my own children this must have been difficult for her at times. It sometimes seemed unfair as a child but as an adult, I thank her for this. Independence is a gift not every child receives from their parents but my mother gave this to me and it allowed me to experience all the wonderful things I experience in my life.
Never give up, is a lesson I learned through watching my mother’s actions. My mother always fought for whatever she believed in. She always strived to complete a task no matter how laborious or how unfamiliar. With the same perseverance, I reach one goal and strive for the next.
Finally, onto compassion a gift handed down through the women in my family. My mother was no exception in passing on this gift. She allowed me to keep every stray or injured critter I came across because she too shared the same compassion for them. She taught me to feel for the hurting people of the world and if possible try to help them to heal.
Thank you for these gifts mom and have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
Below is a link to a story that I wrote and posted on my blog last year for UK Mother’s Day:
https://usaukwoods.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/mothers-day/
Into the Sun 