Mother's Day Tribute

On this Mother's Day---I want to pay tribute to my Mom---Elizabeth Ellen Nordling Harris, otherwise known as Betty Harris. I was surprised to find the above photo among my Mother's pictures after she passed---partly because I never remember her knitting at all and partly because I do remember my Grandma (her mother) teaching me to knit. Then I realized---it was Gram (my Grandmother) who probably took this picture because it is a polaroid and she was the one who had the polaroid camera....and she isn't in this picture--but my Mom and my (Great) Aunt Esther are...so if course she was behind the camera. I was 8 years old in this picture and I have been knitting every since.

But knitting wasn't all my Mother taught me...I think the most important thing she taught me was to help others...and to volunteer and give back to your community. My Mom's house was the kind of home that took in others in need, that helped the elderly neighbors, and since she had an amazing flower garden--she was always giving away cut flowers and plants.

From my Mom I learned that what you put out into the universe comes back to you--if you have a generous spirit, then the universe is generous with you...if you are a miser--well--then look out! you get what you give. But I also learned that it is good to give to others without expecting anything in return.

And lastly, I learned about gardening and growing food and flowers from my Mom. To this day, I never weed without thinking of her. But learning to garden was also about generously putting energy into the Earth--so she would give back to us yummy veggies and berries to eat. For all this, I give thanks for my Mom today and pay tribute to all the Mothers I know.

If I had a flower for every time I thought of my Mother--I would have acres of flower gardens.....

Here's to Mothers!!

MOTHER, mothering...been there, done that. Everyone has a mother--you cannot escape that fact. Since my mother has departed this Earth (she left on my birthday--no less!) I have turned "Mother's Day" into "I-appreciate-all-mothers" Day and "Every-Mother-is-a-working-mother" Day. Yup, I just think about all the young Mother's I know (and think about how I was once a young Mother) and admire them for the hard work--sometimes very difficult and unrewarded hard work---they do each day. We expect so much of our Mother's-- so living up to our cultural expectations of what a Mother should be is a real challenge sometimes.

I suspect most Mother's have those days when they just want to run away from being a Mother--I know I did. However, it is very taboo in our culture to admit you hate being a Mother--even if you only hate it for a few hours or a day. Not only must you be a perfect Mother--who can solve all problems, and ALWAYS loves her kids---but you are supposed to love the role. Now don't get me wrong--I love my kids (I have 2 wonderful now grown up daughters) but sometimes I really hated being a Mother.

When you are a Mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts or alone anywhere, for that matter. As a Mother--you rarely get "time off"---even if you go away on vacation--you are still "on call" if there is an emergency and would rush home if your child was sick or injured. Being a Mother taught (the young and very impatient) me patience. During particularly difficult times (when Mothering teens as a single parent, for example) being a Mother seemed like a test of my unconditional love for my children.

Part of being a Mother is teaching our children--oh so many things! but I also learned from my children as I guided them through childhood. Despite the times I wanted to escape Motherhood, I know that being a Mom has shaped me into the wiser elder I am today, and for that I am grateful. Looking back now on the journey I took through young Motherhood, I wouldn't trade that experience for any other adventure....and that goes ditto for being a Grandma. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY ALL YOU WONDERFUL MOTHERS OUT THERE!

A Wise Owl for Mother's day

Mother's are wise--right? this owl is for all the wise mother's and grandmother's in your life.