Mommy dearest

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavour by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.~Washington Irving

I have been living apart from my mom for years. Looking back at our relationship, I sincerely don't think I got along well with her during my formative years. But that is understandable, since my mom had to work shifts to help with the family income. And also because I have two much younger sisters who really needed her attention more than I did (being the eldest has its disadvantages). It was only when I started to become an adult that I slowly bonded with her. And more so now.
Last weekend my mom came over to my place. After shopping and what not, my mom and I found ourselves wondering what to do. So I came up with this idea of buying plants to add to my already waiting-to-become-extinct-3' X 10' garden. I learnt a lot from my mom that day. I also sweated a lot! But what made that particular evening special was seeing her on her knees, perspiring, very much engrossed with the pots and plants, giving me advice on how to start keeping a garden. At that time, I had this deja-vu moment. Somehow I was transferred back to the time when I was a kid, about to go to school and my mom was more or less in the same position, on her knees, giving me Tying Shoelaces 101!
These two episodes in my life are really priceless. Not only was I surprised by the obvious similarities in these two events but I was also hoping that I'd get to experience this kind of thing again; maybe in a different fashion. Whatever it may be, I know that it's going to make me me see myself: in the past, so naive and dependent on mom and in the present: so adult yet so many things to learn from mom. And it's going to make me shed tears and appreciate my mom MORE.

Originally posted on http://izzyz7.reciter.com on 30 May 2007


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