Mary & Mom

Today is a holy day. As Catholics, we celebrate the Assumption of Mary on August 15th. This is the day that we celebrate her corporeal entrance into heaven, and her leaving our earth. Mary, for me, is my go-to woman. She IS the perfect mother, the most holy of all women in the Bible, and someone I dream of being like. Almost every motherhood experience I have gone through, both the difficult and the fun, has in some way caused me to reflect back to her. When I have had enough of Cole’s questions in ten minutes of him being up I wonder….did Jesus ask Mary this many questions? Did she EVER want to say, “Jesus, just don’t talk…mommy needs a break.” And what about the “losing it” times…like when I returned (after having cleaned to near perfection) to the boys bathroom the other day to make sure I emptied the trash can and some kind of liquid was swirling around the bottom???? Oh my gosh, that would be Reed using the restroom in the trash can because he didn’t want to take the time to lift the toilet seat! Okay, Mary…did Jesus ever do that?? And what would your tone be in addressing Reed? Well, you can rest assured that she would NOT have spoken to Reed the way I did! She is awe-inspiring. As the college departure day approaches, August 30th, I think of how she must of felt when Jesus left to begin his teachings at such a young age. It brings me strength yet reminds me of how weak I am and how strong she was/is. As a mother, I can not even begin to imagine what it must have been like to watch her son suffer the way Jesus did. I love that our church celebrates her and recognizes God’s divinity in choosing Mary for Jesus. I love her and the way that I feel so nourished by her.

Mary is not the only reason why I love August 15th. Two other incredible things are celebrated on this day. In Merchantville, New Jersey, in 1931, my grandparents (on my mother’s side), Thurston and Edna, were married! They are still a “go-to” couple for me. Before losing my grandfather in 1988, they gave us 57 years of experiencing what a real covenant marital relationship was like. Their love for one another and God was so evident. I am so blessed to have had such strong examples in my life. On my grandparent’s fifth wedding anniversary, they gave birth to their second child, but first girl, my mom. Today is my Mom’s birthday. She would have been 72 years old. I can hear her cringing from heaven. She didn’t really like aging, yet she was the first to make jokes and find fun in the process. She had many names in her aging process. My nephew, Van, affectionately named her “66” as she approached that age which she considered a term of endearment. In fact, her name then changed every year as she grew a year older. My niece, Brittany, coined the term “gray matter” and in fun called her that! She loved it! She truly loved her children, grandchildren, the checkers at the grocery store, the little ladies who worked at Hallmark….the list goes on. She KNEW these people too. I still to this day walk in to a grocery store and can giggle as I think about doing it with her and hearing the ladies working say, “Hi Gail, how are you?” I wish I could physically celebrate with her today. I can still feel her hand hold…she had strong as iron, yet long slender delicate hands. Sometimes I can still smell her! As I type and cry in missing her, she is saying from heaven, “Kimmy, this is ridiculous, get up and go clean something or cook for the week and freeze it.” I just want to hold her again and talk for a long time with her. Tonight at mass, the Catholic community will honor Mary. And I will celebrate the two most special women in my life, Mary and Mom.

Happy Birthday Mom!