Mom

May 12

I am thankful for Mom. On this Mother's Day, I celebrate the life of my mother. The mother-child relationship is special. I know some people don't have such great memories of their mothers, but I am ever grateful for mine. Growing up you generally don't really appreciate your parents, but as you age, you become aware of what they meant to you. And when having children of your own, you especially are grateful and often find yourself repeating some of the things your mother told you which you may have smirked about at the time. All I can do now is smile remembering those things. There are so many happy memories, it is impossible to put them all down here.

The photo today is of my mother, Elizabeth (Betty) Tulley. She was an amazing person. An aeronautical engineer, a wife, a stay at home mom, a department store buyer, a hospital gift shop volenteer, a God-loving person, a grandmother, and a great grandmother. She has been gone now for three years and it does not seem to get any easier. I am grateful for the past few years we were together, when her failing eyesight and failing health allowed us more time together. I wrote her bills for her, took her shopping, filled her prescriptions, and took her to her doctor appointments. Unfortunately, I found myself doing those duties and rushing home to take care of things of my own. I was so incredibly blessed for those times together but shortchanged myself by not always staying to sit and visit with her. We often take time for granted. We should make the most of those precious times we do have together with our loved ones.

Below is perhaps one of the first photos which I took of Mom and developed in our basement darkroon when I was growing up in Edinburg, Indiana. I was around ten years old, which would mean she was only 37 years old at the time. My, Mom, you were so young!

May 12b

mother’s day

hello mom

i just dropped by

to bring you these flowers and say

that i wish

to tell you

happy mother’s day

and to thank you

for everything

everything you did

for the times

you knew and loved me

when i didn’t know

or love myself

or kept it hid

so thank you

for giving me time to catch up

and thank you

for standing back

and secretly watching this pup

while he learned to crawl

learned to walk

learned to run

and learned to grow

you always knew how

to show confidence

and trust

that i needed so much

so long ago

so i just came by

to try to tell you

that i appreciate it all

and to say sorry

for the times

i was too busy

to stay and talk

when i would rush away

for trivial reasons

or when i would balk

about helping you out

when i wasn’t there

in your time of need

and so i plead

for your forgiveness

and to tell you again

the way i always do

that you are still special to me

and that i still think of you

so now i lay

these flowers at your grave

i love you mom

is the best i can say.

© rt tulley