So here we almost are…..some of us are having to go through the holidays without our loved ones.
We use our Mommas recipes for sweet potato casserole and dressing. Once in a while we see she has written a note beside them….”add more cinnamon” , “this is good” or “Sheila likes this” can bring me to tears.
We make a lot of jokes about things our Mothers said……here are a few that came true…
“I’m gonna give you something to cry about!!!!” This came true….eventually…..she died, so now I do have something to cry about.
“You are gonna put your eye out!” I must have done this, because I have to buy stronger and stronger glasses all the time!
“If you break your leg, don’t come running to me!” While this may sound a bit like a conundrum, I never did get to run to her with a broken leg. I did roll around in a parking lot, on ice, on Christmas Eve, with a broken leg….and I didn’t “run to her”.
“You are gonna get what you deserve.” Yeah, well, we won’t talk about that very much. Suffice it to say I must deserve a lot of grief!
“You are gonna pay for your raising.” I did that, too. Lord, how I have done that!!
“If you swallow those watermelon seeds, a watermelon will grow in your stomach.” It took at least thirty years, but if I turn sideways and look in the mirror, or try to wear a size medium tee shirt….I see it finally happened. The watermelon seed grew til I went into double digit sized clothing…..
“You are gonna regret wearing those tight shoes.” When I am limping across the kitchen, whining, complaining and wishing I had a hover round…I recall that vague threat from my Momma.
“If you don’t wash your make up off every night, you will get wrinkles.” I tell you, I am only in my sixties and it has already happened!!!!!!!!
“If you put much more salt on that watermelon you are gonna get “high blood.” While I didn’t know then what “high blood” was….eventually I found out. I take a pill every day for “high blood.”
“If you keep messing with your hair, it’s all gonna fall out.” No one could even imagine all the money I spend on volumizing hair products……searching out new ones and whining…”How did she knooooowww???”
“If you keep popping your fingers you will get arthritis.” Well, I popped my fingers and here I am….only fifty years later and now…………well, yeah.
“Computers are going to ruin the world.” We all know that is coming true…………..
The list goes on, and I am not remembering all my Momma’s “threats”. I do recall telling her that the way she told it, I was not gonna make it.
I still haven’t “made it”. I don’t even know what “making it” is…..I make beds. I make coffee. I make time. I make meals. I make faces. I make jokes. I make costumes. I make tons of things…..and I still haven’t “made it.”
One of the most important and most remembered things my Momma EVER said was “I sure do miss my Momma during the holidays.”
That was the truest, most proven, absolutely correct thing my Momma ever said.
I can see her at the stove. I can imagine her opening her gifts. I see her running around taking pictures of all of us. I see her drinking coffee and making pot after pot so Christmas day would be just right. I see her sneaking that extra pecan pie into my brothers hands and telling him to “get out of here before someone catches us.”
I see her handing out the Santa hats to all the kids so they can wear them while they hand out the gifts. I can see her looking at that beautiful smoked turkey and exclaiming “This year’s turkey is the best one I ever made.” I can see her feet taking millions of steps in one day, no matter how she felt, just to hand out hugs and kisses, and to sneak a few dollars into some of our pockets. I can picture her walking out to the the car as we leave, telling us to drive carefully, she loves us, and don’t be a stranger.
I wish all of you a happy holiday……the holidays our Mothers would want us to continue to have. I am glad some of the grandkids are old enough to still say things like “remember when Mawmaw” and making us laugh or causing our eyes to well up with tears.
Whatever you do during the holidays, let’s honor our parents by doing as they would do……keep on keeping on for the family…..
And let’s all raise our apple cider to the Mommas who made us laugh and cry…..who cooked okra simply because we might stop by to see her… honor her in all ways during what could possibly be a difficult time…..
We are not our Mothers, so we don’t even need to try to be…..we need our own traditions and to do things our way….but I WILL use some of my Mommas decorations…because I know she will enjoy that.
And remember ………..they know when you are sleeping, they know when you’re awake. they know when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake…….Santa is not the only one who watches us and keeps a list and wants us to be good…….so……….Happy Holidays Y’all!
