Mother's Day

This was my first Mother’s Day since I lost my mother back in September, and I can’t believe how much publicity it gets ahead of time. I think that was the hardest thing - every time I turned on the radio looked at my e-mail, etc., there was something saying “Get this for Mom” or something to that effect.

However, as I said during the shiva service when the rabbi (Esther, the second night) asked me to talk about her, I really always have her with me because she had such an influence on me and taught me so much about being a decent person. If I’ve succeeded at that, it’s because of her. She taught me to love books and knowledge, to be curious and think for myself, that all of us are God’s children and, I hope, to be strong in the face of the challenges that life deals us. Nothing exemplifies her own willingness to change her thinking than her evolution from a staunch Reagan Republican to a very harsh critic of the “Bush crime family,” as Mike Malloy refers to it, although we never could convince her to switch her registration at least to independent, or “none” as it goes by in NYS. (I love telling people I’m a “none.”) My sister and I were debating yesterday whether, if she were still here, she’d be ecstatic at the fact that a lot of other people are finally waking up (her) or whether she would have already had another stroke by now with all the abuses of power that are constantly hitting the news (me). Well, if she hadn’t had another stroke (or if she’s looking down on us), she would be glad that he’s finally even losing the support of his base.

Anyway, I hope she is in a better place, whatever that means since if there is an afterlife I don’t believe that we are able to conceive what it would be like, and free from all the frustrations that she had to suffer from in the last couple of years, which were almost worse than physical pain in decreasing her quality of life.