Our mother has been gone almost ten years now, yet she is still with us in so many ways. With Mother's Day upon us, my mind is filled with thoughts of her wisdom and strength. A sense of goodness and integrity lingered over mom like an early morning mist over a mountain valley. So wise and so giving are the images that bounce around in my head.
Mom was a registered nurse, but chose to be a "career mom" and spent her life making a home for dad, six children, an assortment of dogs and cats, a pony and numerous other animals, including skunks and raccoons. It was a full-time job, but she always had time for each and every one of us and instilled something in our hearts that we in turn have tried to pass on to our children.
Relatives and friends who happened to drop in at the house around mealtime were in for a special treat. Like magic, a complete dinner would appear on the table, almost as if their visit was anticipated. What a cook she was! No one ever went away hungry and usually ended up with a loaf of homemade bread or a piece of pie to take along with them. Dad must have been paying attention in the kitchen, as he has become an excellent cook. He is also quite a man, but that is another story.
The years mom spent with dad in the log cabin on "their mountain" here in Vermont were some of the best years of her life. Dad was retired now, giving them the opportunity to live their dream life and to pursue their various interests.
Mom loved life, people and the outdoors. She and dad traveled many of the backroads and climbed most of the mountains. Hiking the many trails and fishing for the wild brook trout, so common in our mountain streams, were other interests they shared. During the berry season you could find them high up on the mountain side picking fresh berries for the freezer.
As I write this, the memories are flashing back; so many good times and so many lessons learned. Mom taught us right from wrong at an early age. Not to imply that we grew up to be perfect people (perish the thought), but some lessons stuck!
I can remember back when I was four or five years old and returning from the local 5 & 10 cent store with a handful of toy rings. At the time I didn't realize you had to pay for the merchandise in the stores. Reality set in when my grandmother saw me passing out rings to the girls in the neighborhood and promptly reported it to mom. I was marched back to the store with the goods and if my memory serves me right, it was over a week before I could sit down!
Mom was stricken with cancer in her later years and fought it with a tenacity that could only be compared to a lioness fighting for her cubs. She faithfully traveled to the hospital for treatments, but the cancer continued to spread. We had a hospital bed set up for her in the living room of the log cabin where she could look out the window and watch the wildlife. She wanted to spend her last days with her family on "their mountain." No hospital for this strong and beautiful woman!
I was working construction at that time and came by each evening to visit with mom. It was early May and, while talking with mom, I mentioned that the spring turkey season was open but I hadn't had a chance to get out yet. Her reply will remain with me the rest of my life. "Mike," she said, "you work hard. Take tomorrow off and go turkey hunting. Life is too short." She added, "So take time to smell the roses." Mom passed away two weeks later.
Mother's Day will find me in a small cemetery in Wells, Vermont. I will have a bouquet of wildflowers in hand and will have a conversation with a great lady, my mom.
Mike Williams writes from Poultney, Vt.
Thoughts of Mom