My parents were strong people who believed their boys should grow up and be able to take care of themselves. Not that they were not there for support, help… and, God help us, plenty of advice. But they always encouraged Big Bro and me to get out, work hard, learn everything we could, not be afraid to take a chance or two and enjoy life. Of course, that last part usually got Max and me both in trouble, as we have both always been too good at enjoying life.
Sadly, we lost Mom some years back… many years after we had already lost Dad. Cancer took her from us in her early 80’s.
My mom was one of the toughest people I have ever known. She lived through some truly scary times along the way and, while she faced each and every challenge and did her best to take care of our family, she never let the hardships make her hard. She was always available with love and support… and, as stated before… advice. But she also realized that sometimes her advice was colored by the life she had lived and that the safer route was not always the best one for her boys. And, as hard as it was to lose her, I have always respected the way she left us. She never whined or complained and decided that she would forego any unusual treatment that would likely have made her very sick in favor of a few healthy months with her family. I will always cherish those last few months with her as Twila and I were blessed to have clients who understood what we were going through and went out of their way to allow us to work from Mom’s home in Mississippi so we could be with her at the end.
God knows, over the years Max and I have both made our share of mistakes. But I can’t ever remember Mom saying, “I told you so.” She was much more the “You’ll do better next time” sort of person. So, now days, even though I’m blessed with an amazing wife to help me make decisions… and have a wise and successful older brother and a truly smart son to give me advice from different angles… I still miss being able to sit down with Mom at her little dining room table and chat over some important life decision I need to make. As stated before, I didn’t always take her advice, but it always made me feel better to have talked to her, and often her insights helped me find the right path to take in facing one of life’s tough choices.
They say you can pick your friends but not your family. I guess that’s true and all I can say is, “Thank God” for the family He gave me… especially my tough and loving Mom. After all these years I still miss her every day. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom… and to all the Moms out there… Happy Mother’s Day to you, too.