Well, the New Year is no longer quite so new. It is more than half past the first month. I am already used to writing the new year (2012) on my checks.
Tomorrow (Jan 20th) is a special day for me. It will be my mother's 102 birthday -- if she were still alive. She remembered the end of the Great War. Sadly she was also around when they had to change the name of the war to World War I. She and Papa were married in the midst of the Great Depression and had two sons before the beginning of WWII. She remembered the first time she saw an automobile and the first time she heard radio. She remembered the first time she ever went up in a plane. She lived long enough to see Mankind land on the moon -- twice.
It is from my mother that I get my love of reading, my poor eyesight and my bone structure. It is from here that I got my love of stories and love for animals. And it is from my mother that I got a deep and practical sense of awe at the universe.
Mother taught me to live my values (She certainly lived hers) and to practice kindness (she was better at that than I am).
In my lifetime, I have accomplished a few small things that I am proud of. But if I have done so, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants. My mother was a quiet, loving, gentle Giant with a heart that encompassed all of creation.
I bow my head to her.
I always love reading your posts.
ReplyDeleteMy grandma died in 1995 at the age of 92. She was born in 1903, and she always told me stories about the "old times" when life was simpler and times were hard in Italy.
I enjoy listening to stories. My father used to live in Milan during WW II, and he saw destruction and death first hand. My grandpa was born in 1892 and was a soldier in WW I.
I usually tell their stories to my nephews for a sort of remembrance and for honoring the "ancients". :)