Happy Mother's Day!

No one has the unconditional love for anyone more than a mother. I know mine did. She shared in my failures as much as my achievements. However, I don't believe she considered any of my failures to be really failures. A mother knows how to embarrass a son by showing his baby pictures to all of his girlfriends. I can feel the mystery of who I am slipping away. She also knows how to brag to all of her friends about the smallest of accomplishments.

As a young child, I remember hearing the stories. There was one about how I used to crawl on my ass to move from one spot on the couch to another. There was another one involving 45 rpm records. Whenever family would visit, my mom would remove the records from their sleeves and ask me to find a particular song. First, she would point out to everyone that many of the labels are the same and that I was too young to read. Somehow, I would always pick the correct record each time on only one try.

My mom was there for my first ear piercing. She also assisted me with the coloring of my hair as a young adult. Needless to say, I had a cool mom. I did know how to push her buttons, though. I remember her throwing a spoon at me one time.
She was the disciplinarian in the family. My father left this task in her hands.

My mom was a Jewish woman with German and English blood that raised her sons to be Catholic. My father was Catholic with 100% Italian blood flowing through his veins. I had the best of both worlds enjoying chopped chicken liver on a hard roll, as well as a plate of lasagna. She was a great cook! Every Thanksgiving, I can still smell the turkey in the oven as I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade even though she is no longer with us.

She was there for me whenever I needed her. The only thing she ever asked of me was for my permission for her to die! That was the hardest conversation I ever had with her. It was time to transfer her to hospice because her COPD was taking over her ability to live comfortably. I will never forget the time that Lori (my life partner) and I picked her up and took her to a Casino Night at the Allenhurst Beach Club. I placed her and her wheelchair right in front of the Blackjack table with a steady supply of drinks and enjoyed watching her have the time of her life.

Sometimes when I have a problem, I wish she was still around to talk to. Even though I was there for her heart attack, radiation treatments and the loss of my dad, I don't feel like I did enough. I am proud of her because she left us on her own terms. She was able to say goodbye to everyone before she drew her last breath. I know she was looking forward to reuniting with my dad in the afterlife. I love you, mom! Happy Mother's Day!