I Remember Mama

I never intended for this blog to *all* be about cycling, it's just worked out that way so far (can you say special interest?). So, on this Mother's Day, I remember my Mama, ten years gone, with a piece I wrote about her some years before she passed.

Not Even By A Diamond

“Her beauty is outshone only by the diamond on her left hand,” read her nursing school yearbook. Some thirty years later, the beauty still shines through. Her silver hair is swept up into a bun, with a wisp or two escaping to frame the delicate features of her face. Her skin is smooth and has a healthy glow about it. She has a bright smile and her warm eyes are not hidden by the reading glasses propped on her nose. The bun and glasses may bring to mind a grandmother, and she has been one for a year now, but a kindly old woman she is most definitely not. Kind, yes -- a loving and giving family woman, but her young face and slim body show that she is an active, vibrant woman as well.

Though short by most standards, she carries herself with a graceful confidence and is a strong presence wherever she goes. She is intelligent and knowledgeable; her soft, clear voice maneuvers deftly through both difficult and fun conversation. Her hands have worked hard in the garden, house, and office, but are still soft and smooth. They have provided years of gentle comfort to fevered brows and broken hearts, as well as strong support for faltering steps and frightening moments. She has saved countless lives, in the emergency room or wherever she was needed. With her husband, she raised five fine young adults and maintains a big, beautiful house and property. She is by no means done with all this yet. She will continue to nurture her family, home, and self, as well as enrich all the lives she touches. As her son said at Christmas dinner, “She’s a constant inspiration to us all,” much more precious than any diamond.