Member-only story
Mothers Are Forever
I miss mine every day
As a child, I remember seeing my grandfather standing silently for a few minutes each morning in front of an old photo. The picture was of her mother, who would be my great-grandmother. She was sitting elegantly on a stylish chair whose sides were supported with deer antlers. The black and white photo hung on the wall, lined with an antique-looking thick black discoloring wooden frame. The glass over the picture was foggy and inside the picture was even more faded. Whenever I tried to look closely at her, I could not figure out how she looked exactly. Yet, I knew, she was very dear to my eighty-year grandfather. He never started his day without offering a few dedicated moments to her.
This daily routine often puzzled me.
As a young child I knew, I needed a mom, but, why did grandpa need one, even in a picture? He was already so grown up.
The answer came a few decades later when I lost my own mother. I was not a child then. I am a middle-aged man. But on her loss, I cried like a child. She was the first person I knew when I came into this world. She helped me grow and fly. Even when I moved away from home, we spoke every day and she kept inspiring me.
Her departure left a deep hole in my life. I have a busy life around me, a family, kids, a dog, and work. Yet, every day, I feel her absence. I miss speaking with her. I have her portrait in my room hanging on the wall and I often spend a few quiet moments with my mother.
I know now, why my eighty-year grandpa stood in front of her mom’s photo. Moms are moms forever. It does not matter if you are a little child, a middle-aged person, or an eighty-year-old. You need your mom.
Moms are forever!
