Saturday, February 14, 2009

Dad taught me how to be a Father and Mom showed me how to be a Woman!

Well, NO, not exactly....

(Left to Right) My Mom: Doris Burns O'Brien, My Uncle Bobby Burns,
Uncle Walter Burns and their Dog "Whatsizname"

What I mean is Mom taught me how to nurture. How to do the things most often attributed to a woman. It came in handy when I was a househusband in the 80s and later as a single parent in the 90s.

I don't give my Mom enough credit. I'm always going on about my Dad but really, Mom taught me things that I never could have done without. Who knew that I would have to be a Mother to my children as well as a Father. Not me.... No one in my family had ever been divorced before, let alone been male and a househusband, by choice... but her nurturing my innate ability to nurture was the most powerful gift she gave to me....

~

She also taught me how to cook, how to sew, how to clean... She gave me encouragement and lived vicariously through me in my Artistic endeavorers. Mom was the first person to put a brush in my hand and buy me paints when others my age were still playing with crayons. She gave me her pallet knife and she let me learn how to paint with that as well. Mom even introduced me to Gravestone-rubbing as an art form. She Instilled in me an appreciation of Nature (Dad used to say if you fell asleep in Moms house your mouth open you might wake up with a plant in it....) (She was planting things in old sneakers years before it was in B.H.&G.) Mom took me to museums during the summer and on school breaks to NY and Vermont.

Yeah, I supposed she gave me a few "paddlings" in my youth; but mostly I deserved them even though I didn't think so at the time... ;)

~

This past week we did the "Sibling-Get-Together" to plan for Moms future in light of her continuing Health Concerns. I think on the whole we did well in recognizing each others gifts and ways in which we could help her through this. Who knows what the future holds (although we have some idea) we know that by virtue of our upbringing, we are optimists by nature and we will all get her through this together.

~

Mom was my first Valentine. She always sent me a card and she sent them to my kids when they were young too! Chocolate Hearts, those little Sugar Hearts (with messages on them) they were always there every year, and the Cup-cakes as well! (...maybe thats where Sarah gets it from...)

~

Mom was the first Valentine everyone of us had and she'll always be our Valentine!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY MOM!

...and thanks for teaching Us to be a compassionate, nurturing, un-ordinary human beings.

Oh, I hope you don't mind, but We've passed it on....

:)

obeedúid~
14/feb/09

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