In Praise Of Mothers
Remembering my mother
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! This story was originally posted on my blog, Prima Darling, in May 2017.
My mother was the most important person in the world to me. Her praise and encouragement gave me the confidence to follow my dreams. She wasn’t perfect, but she had the patience and self-control to let me express myself through clothes and makeup even if she disapproved. In eighth grade, I went through a period of wearing heavy eye makeup to school. From my lash line to my eyebrows, which I plucked down to thin arches, I applied a rainbow of colors. It was bizarre, but she never criticized or forbade me from attending school that way. I remember watching in horror once when a friend and her mother took to hand-to-hand combat as her mom attempted to peel the mascara off her eyelashes while berating her as we were on our way out. I realized how lucky I was to have a supportive, non-judgmental mother. Years later, I asked my mother why she never said anything about my crazy makeup. She told me she knew it was a phase that would pass, and then praised me on how perfectly I applied it.
As an adult, my mother was my main cheerleader and my most trusted confidant. Through jobs, love affairs, and a business, she was there lending her help, support, advice, and love. She was extremely funny and could always see the humor in even the most desperate situations. She never took herself too seriously, and when she was around, there was always laughter, or a good yuk, as she would say.
When my brothers and I had children of our own, five born within three years, our mother was elated. She asked to be called Grandy as she had called her beloved grandmother. She was an Auntie Mame kind of grandmother and forged deep bonds with all her grandchildren.
Eighteen years ago, when my girls were nine and six, we tragically lost her in an instant. The car she was a passenger in was broadsided at a traffic intersection. Not a day has passed since then that I don’t think of her and miss her desperately. Holidays and birthdays can be particularly hard. What I’ve learned over the years is that the love she so generously lavished on her family continues to live on inside us. She’s still with us in the happy memories and funny quips I often find myself repeating. Every day, I still feel that love deep inside of me, it has made me who I am.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, past and present. To mark the occasion, I’ve posted photos of beautiful mothers, including my own.
The greatest joy of my life has been to be a mother to my two girls. Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing mothers reading this. As my mother told me many years ago, enjoy your children.
Lots of love,
Jolain
PS, Next week I’ll have the Uncomplicated Summer Style post, I couldn’t let Mother’s Day go by unacknowledged!
what a wholesome love letter to mums xx
Happy mother’s day my dear friend. Malarin…