Spoiler Alter: This post isn’t about a travel experience. It’s about my Mom.

My Mom passed away recently at the age of 91. In the past couple of years, she suffered from several health issues and her death was not unexpected. But it still left me stunned when I got word of her death. Her death caused me to spend time reflecting about her life.

I shared my thoughts about her in a eulogy that I gave at her funeral mass. They were all good thoughts and I decided to use that eulogy speech as a basis for a post about my Mom. It’s some feelings that I want to remember about her and I figure my blog would be a good place to record these feelings.

Mom Had a Large Extended Family

My Mom loved having people around her. She grew up in a large extended family surrounded by many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Her Dad was one of 10 children. And her Mom was one of 7 children.

Many of these aunts and uncles lived nearby where my Mom grew up in southern NH. Her parents house was often a gathering place for these families to get together. The closeness of family was important to my Mom and she valued having family and friends around her.

Mom’s Job was Being a Mom

As I reflected on my Mom, I was filled with many joyous memories. She was a stay at home Mom who took care of the household and raised five kids. It was a job that she loved.
She always looked after our needs before her own. She made sure we were well fed. My Mom was an outstanding cook and she created a collection of favorites recipes, which we continue to enjoy. Growing up in Downeast and Northern Maine, she made sure we were well clothed. She knitted sweaters, hats, and mittens for us to wear in the winter.

Personally, the greatest help she gave me was with my schooling. When I started school, there was no pre-school, kindergarten, or Special Ed. I had a really tough time in the early years. I struggled with reading and math. I just could not seem to grasp any of it.
In 1st grade, the teachers gave up on me and told my Mom – “Your son has a problem. We’re not sure what to do” My Mom stepped in and became my “special ed” teacher. She taught me how to read and she worked with me every day. She’s the one who helped get me thru those early school years.

She Loved Us No Matter What

If there’s one overarching memory that I have of my Mom it’s this: she loved us kids no matter what we did. She loved us no matter what. My Dad was the disciplinarian when we did something really bad. But Mom never raised her voice or scolded us for things like bad grades in our school work. She did correct us and tell us to stop when we exhibited some bad behavior (like when I teased Henry the cat). But she never doled out any punishments for bad behaviour.

I remember one time when I got caught for skipping school. I was a junior in high school and I got caught because the school called and asked my Mom how come I wasn’t in school. When I came home that day, she confronted me and asked me where I had been. I confessed and told her I had been over at my friend’s house. She was upset with me. But she wasn’t upset with me because I had skipped school. She was upset with me because she was worried that something had happened to me. “Don’t ever do that to me again. I worried about you all day!”. I never skipped school again and she never told my Dad.

All throughout her life – she loved us no matter what we did. It wasn’t through her words. It was through her actions and how she treated us. I don’t think it’s something that she got from her parents. I believe it came from her religious teaching and her faith in God.

I’ll share with you my favorite Bible verse. In John chapter 13 verse 34, Jesus tells his disciples – “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” My Mom lived that verse. Unconditional love was a gift that she bestowed on many.

I was blessed to receive that gift and to have been given such a great Mom.