I would like to start sharing more about my mother with you, I’m just not sure how to do it. The sting of her loss was enough to cause me to let the stronger details fade into a safer palette. What was once vibrant hues have, over time, faded to warmer neutral tones. It’s so much easier sharing my Dad with you because he’s here now and I benefit from the constant reminder of everything that makes him Papa. Plus, he’s pretty entertaining. Even when he’s not trying to be.
But if you can believe this, I think that by comparison, my mother would be more entertaining. And together, they would be unstoppable. You would need three comic strips and five sitcoms to contain it all.
I recoil at the thought of a long sloppy litany of every detail I can manage to pull from the fuzz of my mind about her. I think I would rather just find subtle methods of recognition. But today I felt a strong urge to make her feel a tad more present in my life. And maybe if I offer a detail or two about her and you guys take that with you, we ensure those morsels will pass on through the collective tapestry of our existence further than I could take them myself.
So today I offer you this of my mother: She was, both in youth and experience, able to maintain a constant sense of happiness and silliness. She also reveled in her ability to annoy the crap out of those she loved.
Both are traits I am honored to have inherited.
