Mom’s Are Always in Season

My Mom left her earthly address and moved to her Heavenly address in the early part of 2016. Many memories of my life with her surface occasionally––some pleasant and some not so much––but they are my memories, nonetheless.

Today I clipped what I could salvage from my lilac bush after April’s final freezing snow. When I breathed in the potent fragrance from that delicate, purplish bloom, memories of Mom swept over and through me.

A row of lilac bushes lined the South side of our Texas farmhouse where I grew up. A reminder from my grandmother who began her young married life on that same farm in the late 1920’s. Mom continued to nurture those lilacs and they bloomed every Spring––at least when they did not surrender to a late ice or snow storm––filling the air with their addicting fragrance. Memories that stir the senses are the best!

I have been a mom for forty-six years and a grandmother for ten. Now, I’m enjoying watching my daughters grow into their mothering years. What a treasure. I am intentional in sharing their family history and legacy, so that they may fuse those values and memories into their daughters’ lives.

We’ve held on to family recipes, “kitchen-remedies-for-whatever-ails-you,” photographs, books, quilts, dishes and other family favorites because each item comes with a story. We may laugh or cry as we remember the story or the person, now gone from our lives, but we always cherish those old memories, that create new experiences for our next generation.

What memory do you hold dear of a beloved mother, sister, grandmother, aunt or other special woman in your life? Do those memories continue to inspire, encourage or entertain you? How do you share those moments?

As we are learning in the early part of 2020, our lives can change quickly, without notice. Our daily patterns may become disrupted and disconnected. For me, these family memories connect my past––and how I’ve transformed through the years––to my present so that I may plan and fulfill my future.

I’ve come to believe, that Moms are always in season. We are the link that connects the generations, the stories, the traditions and rituals. May your Mother’s Day be beautifully blessed––even if “social-distancing” is the norm of the day––as you share with your family a few moments of “I remember when . . .”