Photo Courtesy of Maura Silva on Unsplash
A Moment in Time
The snapshot captured an idyllic moment in time. A young, cute girl with dark, pixie-cut hair, checkered sun dress, and matching bloomers presses a daisy to her nose. She shyly looks into the camera. All appears well yet foreshadows impending doom given away by this caption:
Today Penelope stepped on a bee. Mommy pulled out the stinger, put some baking soda on it, and we ate ice cream.
Remember when our mommies could kiss away the hurts, and all was right with the world again? Just a kiss and a cup of ice cream.
The New Year Hasn’t Started Well
I was going to write a blog post about blessings.
Instead, I’ve started out the new year sicker than I can remember. The last time was in college when I hallucinated little men in my head. There’s no wacky visions, but my entire body hurts—eyes, ears and throat. First, I lost my voice for several days. Then, my head felt like it would explode. Both eyes are puffy and swollen, and I press cold compresses on them at night lest they be glued shut in the morning. My sinuses are bleeding. I ache hot and cold chills like the flu. This has been ongoing for two weeks now. I’m so over it, but it’s not over me.
Photo Courtesy of Public Domain Pictures on Pixabay
Nothing Dies in Florida
You see, in Florida where I live, nothing ever dies. We don’t have cold weather long enough to kill off nasty stuff. So vegetation gets brown, then sun and rain and humidity pop it all back up again—with a vengeance.
Our area right now is popping Juniper, Maples, and Elms, of which I am allergic, along with half the population of this state. We practically live in a forest. There’s the Ocala National Forest to the north, the second largest nationally protected forest in the U.S. State of Florida covering 607 square miles of Central Florida, and the Withlachoochee State Forest, which encompasses 157,479 acres providing critical wildlife habitat, plus trails, campgrounds, and canoeing. When conditions are dry, the Forest service burns. So, along with all the nasty stuff already in the air, they send out more in the form of smoke.
A Mother’s Love Never Fails
Now, back to mommies.
Along with being sick, our washer went out (lest you think our life is perfect), so I called my 83-year-young active mother, to see if we could borrow her washer for a few loads. Of course, she said, although she was hosting a Bible study group in a few hours. She welcomed Ron and me with open arms. Towering over her, I draped myself over her like a blanket and felt three again. She made me a cup of Orange tea and fixed me a mug of warm, rich chili from the crock pot.
Whether ice cream or chili, we still need our mommies.
Photo courtesy of Amy Humphries on Unsplash
Share your own memories of your mom.
Penelope Silvers is a freelance writer, author,
and radio host of Penelope’s Book Chat on Blog
Talk Radio. She lives simply and sanely on Florida’s
beautiful nature coast.
What a beautiful post! (And I hope you feel better soon!) I believe wholeheartedly in the strength of the role of a mother. There’s just nothing like it and nothing to replace it. My mom passed away 3 years ago, and although there are so many takeaways from her life that I keep with me, the strongest one right now is a statement she made to me about a difficult situation I was going through at the time (that I’m still going through). It was so full of confidence in me and my choices and my abilities to deal with this challenge that I still go back to it again and again, knowing that she would be saying it again if she were here. We definitely need our mommies! 🙂 Thanks for sharing at #heartandsoullinkup
I’m so sorry to hear that you lost your mother, Jennifer. She sounds like a very wise woman and gave you something more valuable than diamonds or rubies. What a precious gift to still hear her voice to this day. Thanks for stopping by again! 🙂
That’s exactly how I feel. 🙂 <3
What is the most heart breaking is when you see your Mother growing older and losing her mind. I feel helpless.
I am so sorry to hear about your mom. My dad’s wife is going through the same thing, and we all feel helpless. I don’t know your faith, but the only way I can deal with these hopeless situations is to give her up to God, and pray continually. It may not cure her, but it will give you peace that God is in control and can be trusted. I’ll keep you and your mother in my prayers.