Thank you, mom
Each year when Mother’s Day rolls around, I’m reminded of one of the greatest gifts in my life–lessons from and memories of my mother. Lately I’ve been immersed in the topic of compassion, something she would have loved. Her motto was the Golden Rule.
As her daughter, I and my brothers were the primary beneficiaries of her love and compassion. I was lucky to experience it everyday, even when she was exhausted herself. In her early 40’s she went back to school, worked, and took care of our family–all with great patience, a quiet strength, and steadiness.
She often was helping out a co-worker, a family in need, a student she was tutoring, or an international student with nowhere to go for a holiday. Each year before winter break, she bought gifts for the elementary school students she taught, placing pencils, paper, and other school or art supplies in a cloth bag she sewed herself. She taught with grace, kindness, creativity, and eyes in the back of her head!
What lit her up most was when she was with family, children, or close friends, entertaining, and when making stained glass creations.
I never thanked my mother enough for who she was, what she modeled for me, and all she did for me. So often I took having a wonderful mother for granted–until she was gone. I was fortunate. Too many children don’t know what it is to have a loving mother. She was that presence for some of them.
Today, on Mothers’ Day, and so many other days when I feel her presence, I quietly salute her.
Submitted by: Roselle Kovitz