MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
This year Mother’s day was wonderful and continues to be my favorite day of the year. My son who lives in Alaska chatted with me on the phone for an hour and informed me that he and his girlfriend bought a microwave oven on Craig’s list in order to make homemade soy candles as a Mother’s Day gift.
My 29 year old daughter spent the day with me and during the morning we were out and about and ran into many people I know. The reoccurring comment was “Your daughter looks just like you.” I don’t really know how I feel when I hear that comment. I remember when Suzanna was ten years old hiking up the hill to catch the bus to school. My neighbor who watched her said, “Your young daughter looks just like you, in fact, she even walks like you!” At the time, I remember thinking, “Poor Suzanna.” In my heart, I was hoping for more for her.
Yesterday, I phoned my mother who lives in a nursing home in New Mexico. When my daughter talked with her, I overheard the following – “Mom and I went to the nursery this morning and looked at plants and it was so much fun. When I was a little girl, my Mom made me help her in the garden and I hated it. Now, I love gardening, it is so meditative!”
Unlike the comment that we look alike, which is the luck of genetic draw, I knew exactly how I felt about her turning out just like me in the gardening area. I was very pleased. I had exposed her to the beauty of digging in the earth and it had imprinted on her. In this regard, my daughter is just like me and it is all I hoped for.

MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND

My husband and I were married 40 years on Jan. 4  and we have long ago tired of the usual anniversary gifts of jewelry for me and tools for him. So the anniversary gift exchange thing needed a re-invent.

So, two weeks before our fortieth, we came up with a new approach. For my gift, he fought on the phone with the people in India for hours and hours to get them to give him a number to call a woman in Canada to beg her to fix my new computer which was full of bugs. He convinced her to replace it with an upgrade and it arrived on my doorstep four days ago. Thank-you, thank-you, dear husband. It was the best gift ever.

For him, I promised to not holler at him for six days in a row for any reason whatsoever. Unfortunately, I’ve had to start over three times. Currently, I am up to day four and am feeling confident that I will make it this time. Of course, he can help me out by not using my clean and tidy kitchen counter as a workbench and my best Cut-co knife as a screw driver. Also, in his honor, I wore my new Calvin Klein push-up bra I bought on the sale table at Macys to our anniversary party. It is the first such bra that I have owned in all our years together, and as any woman knows, push-up bras are a pain in the butt – totally a man thing! But I made an effort and it made him smile.

During these past two weeks, there has been a new and deep appreciation by me of my husband - maybe, it was the anniversary party, the reflection of what our lives have been together during these past four decades or the NO HOLLERING policy. All I know is that we are laughing more and having lots of fun. This morning, when I awoke with my arm linked through his, I felt so grateful to have him in my life.

FINDING THE PERFECT PRESENT FOR MY HUSBAND

I love giving presents to young people because they NEED things. My husband and I will be married 40 years next month and we have long ago tapped out he same-o same-o gifts of robes, slippers, jewelry, tools and blah blah so the gift giving thing to each other has lost its luster.

Every time, I think of something that he might want he turns it down, except for another tool- a stud finder – but he wants to pick it out for himself. So today, three days before Christmas, we came up with this: No hollering at him for six days for any reason and more kissing during that same period.

For my gift, he fought with the people in India for hours and hours to get them to give him a number to call a woman in Canada to beg her to fix my new computer that isn’t working AGAIN. He convinced her to replace it with an upgrade. It is being built in China as I write this. My heart beats with happiness.

I also have two more surprises for my husband. I found a recipe for snickerdoodles – his favorite childhood cookies which I am going to bake for him on the sly. And I bought a Calvin Klein push-up bra on the sale table at Macys. I am going to wear it Christmas morning. Trust me, he’ll love it!