A Mother’s Gifts Keep on Giving … Long after Her Time on Earth is Done

Every Mother’s Day since I started Aging Matters International and TheCaregivingJourney.com to support family caregivers, I’ve written a blog in honor of my Mum. It gives me great comfort to reflect on her life, her gifts to me and my sisters, and the greater meaning of it all.

Looking back, for this Mother’s Day I’ve summarized some of my favorite thoughts and observations from the past five years.

As a champion and role model for working women, my Mum would’ve been horrified to see what has happened with the pandemic workforce exit of droves of women, as well as the plethora of 50+ women who have difficulties getting back into the workforce (in general):

Not only did she manage to raise three somewhat rebellious daughters in the tumultuous late 60s and early 70s (with no ill effects!), but she also commandeered her own career progression from a secretarial position to a management position during this time.

Her independent streak began way back in her teens (in the mid- to late-1940s), long before the official “women’s movement” began:

She was a woman who marched to her own drumbeat, changing religions at age 16, and admiring the Pulitzer Prize winning and controversial female poet Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Like many Baby Boomers’ Moms, my Mum’s lifespan encompassed growing up during World War II, but in her lifetime she also experienced the exhilaration of the fabulous 50s, the rebellion and upheaval of the 60s and 70s, the materialism and cynicism of the 80s and 90s, the globalization of the 2000’s, and onward to transitioning to “all things digital.”

I must say I was inspired to get more aggressive with my own digital adaptation and uptake when she chided me back in 2005 for not using the digital airport kiosks for flight check-ins!

My Mum was responsible and steadfast in her belief that you cannot let your children “grow up like weeds in the field,” and she tended her garden well and carefully. She absolutely:

• Encouraged me and my sisters to dream
• Protected us “just enough” (but not too much, so we would end up growing strong and self-sufficient)
• Imparted good common sense values

Another rich and comforting source of memories of my Mum are old friends. Just recently, I attended my 50^th high school reunion in lovely South Carolina, where I have not lived for about 40 years (with the exception of the time I spent there caregiving for Mum back in 2007-2008). As with my 45th reunion, it was so great to reconnect after all this time with the wonderful folks I came of age with! Many recalled Mum from those many years ago (as I do THEIR parents), and the warm fuzzies were alive and well!

There will be more blogs about my Mum; I have plenty of stories to tell, and telling them helps me with my grieving, which will never be done. When I stop and give myself a moment of silence, the memories rush in and make me so very grateful for her and all she did for me.

Happy Mother’s Day to all Moms – and thank you for all you do!