Mother’s Day. It’s my 22nd as a mom. It’s my fourth without a mom.
My mother was Ohio born and raised, tenth in a pack of 15 children. She grew up on a farm in rural Ohio where social distancing was the norm and trips to town were few and far between. I was captivated by her stories of life on the farm and imagined long summer afternoons of picking berries and swimming in the creek.
She was everything I wanted to be as a mom, and set a standard I could never quite achieve. My childhood was blessed with time spent together.
A Childhood Full of Blessings
Education was always a priority and starting very early we made a trip to the little library in town every week. It was my favorite day of the week and together we selected ten books for our weekly reading, most of which I had read a time or two before. We spent afternoons together, reading and rereading those books, and constructing crafts at the kitchen table.
Summers were spent outside, which was just as well since we didn’t have an air conditioner. Mom didn’t like them. She said having an air conditioner kept people inside.
Instead we went outside. We spent time in the garden, planting and weeding. Together we looked for bugs and rocks and interesting birds at the feeders.
Evenings meant a homemade dinner on the table, at the same time every night. In the summer, we would take a bike ride after dinner. The rest of the year we would watch Little House on the Prairie or The Waltons and then it was early to bed.
Exploring Ohio
We saved our weekends for exploring Ohio. In the summer we would camp, always at a state park, and mostly at Rocky Fork or sometimes Hocking Hills. We would go to little fairs and festivals and always make a trip to the State Fair.
Fall would take us to the top of Rising Park in Lancaster or perhaps to Cedar Falls or Old Man’s Cave at Hocking Hills to see the fall foliage. Together we would make up posters for the elementary Halloween Carnival and make caramel apples.
Winter and Christmas meant a trip to downtown Columbus to peek at the displays in the windows at Lazarus. It seemed like there was more snow then, and we would take a few turns at our favorite sledding hill.
I don’t doubt that it was because of Mom that I have so much love for my home state. I miss her so much and all of the Ohio adventures we still had planned. Now I will be taking them with my children, and through this blog, with you.
Sending Love to Mom on Mother’s Day
If you still have your mom, give her a hug today (or a phone call if you are quarantined). When you have a chance, take a hike or a bike, or just a walk around the block.
In addition to my wonderful mom, I’ve been incredibly blessed with a host of amazing women in my life. Over the years I’ve added to my collection of moms and count my step-mother and mother-in-law among my closest friends. I still have one grandmother and she always is there to share a positive word should I need one. And my mother’s sisters, my aunts, are there to help me remember Mom’s stories of life on the farm.
Happy Mother’s Day
Enjoy your mother’s day and celebrate all the moms in your life. If you’re a mom, relax a bit and have a happy Mother’s Day!
