HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!
The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds.
Dear Reader,
This month’s article is dedicated to my mom who turns 81 today! She is the most resourceful woman I know. She never goes anywhere without her full toolbox (complete with spackling paste!), sewing kit and enough books and correspondence to keep her busy for days (or rather sleepless nights!). She lives an independent life full of morning gardening, daily walks at Winn-Dixie and volunteering at a church where she pushes carts full of donated food to the receiving client’s cars and she personally delivers food to several families who are homebound. In addition to attending Bible Study and church every Sunday, she takes a variety of classes from Zentangle (focused doodling to create appealing artwork) to genealogy. She has committed herself to preserving our family history by personally gathering everyone’s details of our lives and sharing them with one another. Years ago she joined Toastmasters to overcome her fear of public speaking. She became so adept at speaking to an audience that when an opportunity arose to be in a Radio show with a live audience, she auditioned and landed a crucial comedic role. The reason I am not personally celebrating with her today on her actual birthday is because the radio show will be performing at a Nursing Home and space is limited to just the aging attendees and the “young” performers like my mom!
One of the things I really appreciate about my mom is her dedication to having the most possible fun on any given day. Like all of us she has her list of to-do’s as well as the ongoing chores of running a household, caring for her wide circle of friends and keeping up with her bills and shopping, but if an invitation of any appeal comes up that sounds fun and interesting, she is known to stop whatever she is doing and dash to the party. I admire someone who has her priorities straight!
The last couple of years my mom has been complaining of feeling tired. Like many people of her age (and decades younger!), regular long uninterrupted sleep has become a challenge. She’s read every book on the subject and she has taken many over-the-counter and prescription sleep aids but without any lasting success. So she often starts her days at four the morning and then wonders why at four in the afternoon she feels like she needs a nap. She has been to several doctors who run numerous tests only to tell her NOTHING IS WRONG WITH HER! They do imply she has not made peace with the fact that if you’re lucky enough to enter your 8th decade, you may have to slow down!
I am not a doctor, but I believe my mother suffers from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out!). She is so devoted to living life to its fullest, she just doesn’t want to pass an invitation by. She loves experiencing life by being right in the midst of it all! I, on the other hand, relate more to the acronym, JOMO (Joy of Missing Out). I’ve become completely content to be home baking for my family or even going for solo beach walks.
Yet I so adore how my mom embraces life! I so appreciate how she shows up for all of our children’s events and how she takes such an interest in what we are up to.
She is known as the best foot massager in our family. My children have all enjoyed their little feet massaged by grandma as they tell her what is new in their lives! About a decade ago, she introduced us to her new super sized Parafinn hot wax machine. Everybody got in on it, enjoying not only the hot wax experience but the big souvenir wax balls they got to keep!
Just last week I was bragging to my mom that I’m getting good at hanging things with my new drill. I told her I used to leave holes in the walls when I didn’t measure properly and I always intended to go back and fill those gaping holes but I just never did and they never seemed to bother me. That’s when my mom confessed. She told me she had filled my holes. I was in shock as I know we don’t even own any spackle paste. That’s when she told me she keeps spackle paste in her toolbox. I suddenly got goose bumps all over me. How many other areas of my life had my mom been silently spackling? From my childhood to my adulthood, perhaps that’s what moms do best. They spackle us. They smooth things over, they fill the void, they make it all better.
Happy Birthday Mom! May we all be blessed with someone who silently spackles for us! With love, Diana
Diana Stone, M.A., is a Wellness Consultant and inspirational writer and speaker. Connect with her at dianalynnstone@me.com or www.dianalynnstone.com
