six years later

Yesterday was my sixth mother's day since my mom died. I was thinking it was the fifth but I've just done the math (not my strong suit) and I think it was the sixth!

The first few were really hard, and made even harder by the conveniences of modern technology. You see, my mom had been really sick for a few years. To cheer her (and me) up, I spent loads of money on flowers during those years. I'd order them online and they would magically appear in her hospital room the next day. It was a way of being there even though I was 3,000 miles away.

I'd scour the internets each time to make sure I got the best deal price wise. As a result, about 4 online florists knew that I was in the habit of sending flowers to my mother. Do you see what's coming?? For the first few Mother's Days after she died, my e-mail box would fill up with messages like ... "Susan, don't forget your mother on Mother's Day!" or "Susan, it's not too late to put a smile on your mother's face." The thing was, it was. To send them that is. I never forgot that it was Mother's Day. I missed her too much to forget.

The e-mails have stopped coming, and these days I almost forget that it's Mother's Day. Except that some of my friends are having breakfast in bed courtesy of their pint sized offspring, and other friends are talking about sending flowers to their mother. That's when I remember ....

This year, I spent Mother's Day weekend with my godson and his mom/my friend in Portland. It was a perfect way to spend the weekend. I drove back to Seattle on Mother's Day itself, but I decided to take my time and meander about. I stopped off in Woodland, Washington for a Burgerville lunch. If you've never been to Burgerville, you don't know what you're missing!!

Then I decided to stop off at Lilac Days at the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens, also in Longview. I always see the sign when I drive by, and I'd never been. Plus I figured the Lilacs were probably in full bloom. They were ... and so were the parties of mothers and children celebrating the day. Even though it was exactly the sort of outing my mother would have loved, and here I was alone surround by mothers and daughters and even mothers and sons, I wasn't sad or melancholy. In fact, it almost felt like my mom was there, strolling through the fragrant lilac beds, soaking in the fragrance. I often feel my mother's presence, but yesterday it was in a special way. As friend, companion, and co-conspirator. Just like old times. A nice way to spend Mother's Day!