MY MOTHER REVISITED

[schlomo]

My Mother Revisited 

Although I don’t recall any conversations between my deceased mother and me when I was growing up, we had moments of quality time together. 

My mother taught me many things: How to perform the box step in order to impress the girls at the weekly dances I eagerly attended during recess at my junior high school; how to figure out the intricacies of whist, a card game that I exclusively played with my mother; how to pluck away on our underwood typewriter to correspond with my cousin Harold who was stationed in South Korea; how to master the rudiments of our piano keyboard, a prerequisite for entertaining frequent guests at our apartment. 

Throughout this kind of home-schooling guidance, my mother was patient but gently persistent. I will always cherish the loving ways in which she supplemented my formal education. 

From her, I learned how to enrich my children’s academic upbringing. Whenever I got the chance, I quizzed my son and daughter on the origin of the abundantly common words derived from Greek and Roman mythology; I taught both of my children how to navigate through the sometimes bewildering thickets of English grammar; I encouraged them to read literary masterpieces and to enjoy classical music; and I made sure that as a family, we all periodically watched edifying shows on PBS.  

My mother’s tutelage enhanced my life and gave me the basis for inculcating in my children an abiding interest in etymology, in grammatical conundrums, in the Great Books of the Western World, in quality TV programming, and in an array of symphonic music. 

Occasionally, I have wistful recollections of my mother’s influence in my off-duty education. I have conscientiously tried to transmit that devotion to my offspring. I have no doubt that they have done the same for their children, thus keeping intact my mother’s and my own legacy. 

[jonibee]

A fitting and great tribute to your Mother.Hopefully your children will honour you in  the same way someday,  for you have also had influence over them.