Things that make life better.

I recently heard two sisters discussing the traits that they have unknowingly taken on from their mother. This led to an analysis of the traits that I have from my mother. Of course these are traits that I swore I would never ever have. One I am indulging in at this very moment: Coffee, one cup of coffee with creamer.  My coffee even looks just like my mother’s.  As a child I hated coffee, it never appealed to me. I wasn’t like my mother, who apparently started drinking coffee as soon as she could say “I want some.” Being the first grandchild her grandmother, my Maw-Maw, indulged her. That’s not such a bad trait or habit really. Coffee is a good social stimulant.
Looking back at my mother’s life, I realized following in her foot steps isn’t such a bad thing. I just want to tweak things to fit me. I would like to learn from the life that she chose to lead.
  She was a kick ass mother.  She always provided for us and had enough love for everyone. That’s certainly a trait that I want. I want my future child to know how much I love it. I want to make Christmas and Birthdays and all holidays super special, just like she did.
I wouldn’t mind being a great cook.  Knowing that people associate your dressing, or apple cake with Thanksgiving and Christmas would rock. I want to be able to cook from the recipes that she cooks from. Knowing that these are recipes that she got from her grandmother, and they are still serving our family. There is something so special about cooking bisquits that turn out just like my mother’s. It always reminds me of home and of the love that I felt there. Food, in that way is so very comforting.
I hope one day to have a garden just as beautiful as hers. Just to be half the gardener she is would thrill me to no end. To know that I inherited her green thumb and to know that a part of her is in me is just an awesome feeling.      
These days when I’ve been down and out and just feel like I can’t do much of anything right, I look back at my mother. She raised three children, one of which she has already lost, and still she moves forward. She’s the glue that keeps my family together. In not so many words, she taught me that when things get tough you just keep moving forward.  It’s how she has lived her life and how I must live mine. These days when I just want to climb in bed and have a good cry and then curl up with a good book, just avoid life really. I look back at my mother and realize, if for no other reason, I have to move forward so that I don’t let her down.
Hopefully, I haven’t been too sentimental for you, the reader. If nothing else just know that I feel WAY better.  Hey, this is coming from the girl who has watched “Gilmore Girls” all though college.