My Mentor. My Hero! My Love.

Flashback: 5:30am mom prepared dad’s lunch and filled his canteen with coffee. She kissed dad and wished him a good day and handed him his lunch. She took out a loaf of white bread, put some raw egg in a bowl and threw a pat of margarine in the pan. She went into the den and started a load of laundry. She returned and battered the bread and threw it into the pan. She continued this process until the loaf of bread was done and a pile of French toast sat on a platter. After school, the same platter sat on the dining table with rice krispie treats. Mom was outside hanging a load of wet clothes on the line quickly and proceeded to pluck vegetables from the garden preparing for dinner. Her hands calloused, her clothes stained with soil.

Shellie’s Proverb: A stark cow always finds a way to bear milk.

As a child, I hungered for a relationship with mom. Unfortunately, there was not enough time in the day for her. Instead, I mimmicked her movements in the kitchen, at the clothesline, in the garden, at the flea market. I followed her everywhere, I was her shadow. I was the one at the sidelines always watching and cheering. Next to dad, I am her biggest fan.

Chrispina is a woman that did her best to raise ten children. A loyal wife of 49 years. An honorable woman that scrambled to make our house a home. A mother, a wife, a home maker. Mom is beautiful. She has taught me to fight, to sustain, to believe. I take from her the insight that opportunity camps out on your doorstep, but it is my job to welcome and invite it in. Also, always look on the upside of the situation. Most of all, be content with what you have.

I thought long and hard about getting something special for mom. Considering that I am infamously the forgetful of the family, I sent her a card. I poured my words and slathered it with emotion. There’s not a luxurious box of chocolates, or a bunch of exotic flowers, or a fancy gift that could translate the love that lives rich in my heart. Her soul is bounteous. Happy Mother’s Day momma!

Lesson: A considerate Grasshopper gives bowl of rice to others and grasshopper's soul will be full.