Thursday, March 17, 2011

She Taught Me How to Love

This week's Mama Kat's Writers Workshop writing prompt that I chose was 2) 10 Things my mother taught me.

My mom and I were extremely close. Sometimes I have trouble breathing because I miss her so much. She and my father were taken too soon from this life and I certainly was not finished learning from either of them. Well, are we ever really finished learning from our parents?

Back on my mom's birthday in November, I wrote the following piece and I think it fits perfectly with this week's writing assignment. There may not be 10 exact things that my mother taught me but honestly, I wouldn't be able to pick just 10 things she taught me.


Today would have been my mom's 62nd birthday. My mom, Kathi, was my favorite person in the whole world. If you have been reading my blog for awhile, then I'm sure you know that I talk about her a lot. For those new followers, let me just tell you that my mom was my best friend. It's incredibly difficult going through life without her and I honestly don't know how I've gotten this far without my mom.

I know a lot of daughters don't feel this
way about their moms so I know that my relationship with my mom was rare. I wish that I had really sat her down and told her how much that meant to me. For some reason, we didn't have too many serious conversations. I still would like to think that she knew how I felt. I could tell her anything. Seriously, anything. She never judged and never criticized. She just got it. I always felt comfortable divulging intimate details about my personal life to her, well, of course not e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

I've been keeping a journal since my par
ents died. Lately, I haven't really been writing in it like I should. Well, the week they died, my sister and I made two lists of things that made us think of our mom and dad.

Here is what was on our mom's list:
bubble baths, The Temptations, anything easy listening, Twizzlers, scrapbooking, Singapore Slips, beach novels that she would never remember reading but really did, trips to a Tucson, AZ salon(Gadabout), Monopoly (she collected different editions from all over the world), daily trivia, stencil letters, awful singing but she still had fun, Christmas ornaments (we had one from every country we had ever been to on our
Christmas tree), she wanted to be a translator for the UN, colorful and sometimes cheap jewelry, diet cherry coke, her amazing chocolate chip cookies, party mix, the best lasagna ever, getting sucked into any and every TV show that I made her watch with me, hugs, painful goodbyes always made her cry, Clementine(a stuffed monkey from Build a Bear), wandering in grocery stores and Target forever, magazines, comfort food, very smart, held hands during takeoff, loved children, reading aloud, movies, teaching stores, colorful pens, surprise presents, happy tears, big red apples, nose kisses, she dyed her hair since I can remember, always willing to do anything to help someone out and she has the power to make you feel like everything was going to be ok. Of course, there's so much more, but that's my list so far.

Above everything else, I learned how to love from my mom.

14 comments:

  1. Your post made me cry because I know how you feel. I'm so sorry you lost your Mum. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Beautiful post, Thanks for sharing xxx

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  2. Beautifully written Leah. I am sorry.

    I don't have that sort of a relationship with my mom... we are almost different and yet so much similar probably that is what keeps us apart.

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  3. That is a beautiful list of things to remember your mom by. The last one is the best though, learning how to love is important.

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  4. So sweet! My mom and I have the same type of relationship. I hope somehow I can be the same type of mom to my son that she is to me.

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  5. This is such an amazing list! You shared so much!

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  6. Your mom sounds absolutely wonderful! I'm so glad you were "friends" before she left. I try to think that because I came from her, there is much in me that is her. Therefore, our moms will always be with us, no matter what!

    Wonderful tribute to your mom!

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  7. Such a beautiful tribute of a wonderful woman and mother. I would have enjoyed having her as a friend. Lovely post!

    from mama kat's

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  8. Such a beautiful tribute... Such a real life list, which makes this post even more touching!

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  9. What a beautiful post!! I have the same type of relationship with my mom. She's really my best friend.

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  10. You're mother sounds so much like mine. You're post was wonderful, I'm glad you have memories of your mother like you do. I couldn't imagine not having a relationship like this without my mother.

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  11. What a very touching post. I'm so sorry you lost your mom. :(

    Hugs,
    Tracy http://allthumbscrafts.blogspot.com/

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  12. What a beautiful post about your mom, Leah! I feel the same way about my mom too. She's my best friend and I love her so much. Right now we're across the country from one another and it kills me. I hope to move soon so I can be closer with her. And you're right, it's tough to list just 10 things we've learned from our moms, because we never really stop learning from them.

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  13. I Understand. What a lovely tribute to your dear mother....xx

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  14. I loved this the first time around. Beautiful and bitter sweet. I miss her every day. xoxo

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