On Topic Discussion A thread for Mothers Day

[NotHardUp1]

Whether the erstwhile stereotype that gay men are closer to their mothers or not, Mothers Day is an apt time to remember good things about our mothers, either birth mothers or surrogates by role.

And yes, Mothers Day comes to different countries on different calendar days, but it's happening today in the US, hence the thread.

Walter Goggins opened SNL last night with a sendup to his mom who was present. I've never even heard of him before, but it was a charming moment, and it suggested she might be one of those stage moms. His opening jokes about his media coverage is worth the watch, pretty funny self-deprecatory stuff confident, mature men would be wise to emulate.

Some of you may have had negative mothering from your natural mother, as I did. This thread isn't for rants or reliving those sad times. It is intended to celebrate whoever did nurture you, be that an aunt, sister, father, grandparent, neighbor, or friend. Nurturing isn't solely the role of women, so I'm including others to recognize that we sometimes are loved proxies when nature didn't work out.

Share the good things that you experienced through that love.

I'm tipping my hat to my maternal grandmother, my next-door neighbor, and a classmate's parents from university.

Grandmother dedicated untold hours to get me through high school and then college. She encouraged me in the arts, in faith, in intellectualism, and community.

My neighbor Wilma had four kids of her own, and was a divorced single mom working full time, but she made the effort to feed me, provide sanctuary from the poverty that engulfed me at my grandmother's, and provided the younger maternal icon that we are condiitioned by society to seek.

Finally, Lowell and Ch---- were the parents of my friend in college. He and I were casual buds, sharing a few classes, but not close. I later took a course on location at a historic site nearby and resided there the summer before my senior year. I reconnected with him at a church service and was invited to their home where his parents took me in. That friendship grew and for years I was a welcome guest. The repair this kind of respect and acceptance did cannot be overstated.

So, those are my anecdotes.

Do you have anyone you would like to salute?

 

[rareboy]

I was so lucky to have my mother and both grandmothers to raise us.

I always look back in some sadness at their deaths, but mine will also come and I am not wildly sentimental...they helped make me the person I am today for good and bad.

It was their spirit and power that I remember.

And then, when we bought our farm, we were lucky enough to have a friend who we treated as our adoptive mother and loved her as much as the these other powerful and interesting women.

It is funny though that we now know that our cats regard us as their surrogate mummy.

So Mother's day has a different meaning for us now.

 

[Vannie]

She always gave an example on how to treat people.

She was an awesome cook. But an extraordinary baker. Not afraid of homemade doughs for breads, strudels and pies at all. She loved it.

She was a worrier. And I think her own self induced stress shortened her life some. She died at 68.

Lots of love she gave me. I was 'Honeybunch' to her.

She would have marveled at this whole technology internet thing.

As a boy I had a bedroom off the kitchen that was red white and blue. I did airplane models that my Pops hung from fishing line at random heights.

My Mom put a huge frost free stand-up freezer in my room because there wasn't any spot for it in the kitchen. All her homemade baked goods would be in there. From butter cookies to date and nut loaves to poppy seed rolls.

If it was left unlocked I would get a knife and cut off slices of breads or cookie dough in the middle of the night.

Miss her so.

Random thoughts.

 

[backagain]

I remember 2 of my mothers rules.
I am 1 of 9 and all my brothers and sisters knew this. We have often talked about it after my mother passed.
We could not say shut up to each other. It had to be "Be Quiet".
The other was, "If you cannot say something nice about someone, then say nothing."

This was something someone wrote on the tribute wall that knew my family.
The (last name) family was my favorite family as a child! I always loved being in their home , it was filled with so much love! Many of my best childhood memories came from (our home address)!"

My mother made that possible.

 

[me203]

It's been so long since my mother died--more than half my life has taken place since she died (how can it be so long?)--that Mother's Day is just another day. Other things are more likely to to stir up memories.

I have wondered, sometimes, what she'd think of today's world. I remember her talking about having read something that predicted the end of the US empire. That was 1980-something. What would she think now? For that matter, I wonder what she'd think of recent presidential elections. She had a dim enough view of Clinton vs. Bush. I have to wonder how she'd have felt about candiidates like Clinton's wife, a reality TV show star, or an old man in apparent cognitive decline.

Vannie mentioned technology, which is something else I wonder about. My mother didn't like computers, and I've wondered if she'd lived longer in the Internet age if she'd have made peace. I could half imagne her liking the idea of the Internet as a research tool. But I can also easily imagine she'd ahve been the last person in America to use the Internet.

And I also wonder how she'd have reacted to the news that her son is gay.

 

[jjonn3]

I am very lucky to still have my mother. I am the baby of the family which means there was a lot of time with just Mom, Dad and I.

Mom and I talk everyday - sometimes for 2 minutes - sometimes for 2 hours. We talk politics, weather, food, memories, just the general chit chat we would have if we were sitting at the table.

I could say a lot about my Mom - but to me the best thing I can say is she is my friend.

 

[NotHardUp1]

A longstanding sentiment on JUB has been to compare the number of replies to a thread as a sort of dick-measuring contest like Tsarina Catherine's lover on the table top, but I cannot regard replies like internet mouse clicks.

The thoughtfulness of the replies is remarkable. And we are richer for them. Thank you.

 

[MusicMan321]

I didn't celebrate mother's day cause my mom and grandma are both gone but I did send a text to a few women I know who are mother's

 

[TickTockMan]

My mother passed in 2016. My grandmother passed in 2010.


I meant to send a couple texts to female friends, but I accidentally slept 24 hours. Once I woke up for good the day was done.