LOVE YOUR MOTHER......

I had a very nice Mother's Day yesterday....just the kind I like, where I get to spend the day doing what I like. I receive flowers and cards from people who love me, and we get to go somewhere for a dinner that I don't have to cook.....For many of us moms, it doesn't get much better than that. I played around in the garden in the morning and when Costco opened, dropped in there to buy my mom a few armloads of flowers, and figure out what to get her for Mother's Day. At the age of 91, there really are very few things that she needs, except our company and our support, and if there is something special she wants, we make sure she has that whenever she needs it....we don't have to wait for Mother's Day. This year, she has been struggling with the consequences of diabetes, and as a result, we've really had to be strict about her sugar and carbohydrate intake. While she would deny it to the end, she really is a junk food junkie, and we all know that. She loves things like Red Vines, iced animal cookies, Cheezit crackers, Mountain Bars, York Peppermint Patties, Pepsi Cola (NOT Coke!) Frango mints, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Arby sandwiches.  It's really pretty difficult to get her to eat what she should, and she can be kind of like a little kid when she doesn't want to eat something "different..." However, for the past few years, we have reluctant to limit her...thinking that, at her age, and in her state of health, which is otherwise excellent, she should be allowed to eat whatever she wants - she's earned that right, and she doesn't ask for much from anyone. But this year, controlling that sugar intake is no longer a choice....her foot will not heal if we don't really toe the line (pun intended) on that.

After considering the lovely chocolates or other sweet treats, I finally had an "AHA!" moment, where I realized that Smoked Salmon would be perfect! She always enjoyed the wonderful smoked salmon that Dad used to make, and if there's anything she loves more than the aforementioned sweets/snacks, it is salt. What is saltier than Smoked Columbia River salmon? She was thrilled, and she thoroughly enjoyed her morning. After making her day, I had to hustle down to our new Pybus Market on the Columbia Riverfront, where I was scheduled for a volunteer gig for our opening weekend. I spent the morning among hundreds of people from all over the valley and other parts, greeting, answering questions, showing them around, noting their comments and suggestions, and in general, just having a nice time spending a few hours with nice people in a beautiful venue. It was a GOOD day.

I think that most of the time, whether we have a good day or a bad day, it is our choice. While there are notable exceptions to this belief, most of the time it is true. Yesterday, when I woke up, the thing that was uppermost in my mind was the concept of nurturing - how we nurture ourselves, our families, our friends and, in the case of dahlia folks, our gardens. The theme of "Mother Earth" and the bounty that is so abundantly available to us ran through my day as surely as blood courses through my veins. We all have been born and raised by mothers, fathers, grandparents, and other "mother" figures in our lives, and in the process, have been endowed with a legacy that we can choose to pass on in some way - or we can choose NOT to.

When I think about what I am grateful for, when I recognize what has enriched my soul, what has enlivened my creativity - I realize it is this concept of "Mothering" - whether by parents, family or friends. I have been the beneficiary of love and kindness from so many in my life. Many of you reading this blog right now may have been one of those "givers" in my life. Because of my mother and father, my son and my daughter, and all those who have taken time to help me learn, grow and love, I have a little something to pass on. And of course, there's our dear Mother Earth. My garden is one example of that, in spite of all its well-intentioned imperfections. I am reminded that, as competitive and critical I can be when it comes to choosing "show-worthy" blooms, the true joy comes in the pursuit of a dream, even if I fall short. As long as I have something noble and beautiful to aspire to, my life will never fall short. I'll always have armloads of flowers, actual and metaphorical - plenty to share and a heartful of love from my "Mothers...."