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 By Patrick Hurley May 14, 2006 Remembering mom for one day a year hardly seems fair. She has done a lot more for us than Flag Day or Groundhog Day. Moms are unique. They come up with funnier questions than stand up comedians, "Do you want your face SLAPPED?" They are scarier than a mafioso godfather, "Keep crying and I will really GIVE you something to cry about!" They come up with non-sensical logic that has children baffled for centuries, "You want a Playstation 2 because JEFFREY has a Playstation 2? Well, if Jeffrey jumped off a bridge would YOU jump off a bridge, too? (I finally realized, far too late, as an adult the proper response to that silly question..."If Jeffrey jumped off a bridge I could HAVE his Playstation 2!" Moms give you chocolate chip cookies and milk when you are feeling low. She puts iodine on your skinned knee and as you sit there screaming from the pain, she soothes you with, "Be a big boy and don't cry." So, you don't. She tucks you in at night when you are nervous about what is lurking under your bed. She even grabs your head and looks under there with you to convince you all is safe and secure. When dad yells at you, mom is there to pick up your pieces and give you that wink as if to say, "Your father really didn't mean to get mad at you. Bad day at work." Somehow, you always believed her. My mom was a character. I was the oldest of five children and I was her favorite. She always told me, "Pat, you are going places someday!" She never mentioned the specifity of those places, but I knew she was right. When I was ten years old, there was a Christmas card selling contest for our Catholic school. I wanted to enter it to see if I could win but I had my doubts. My mom never wavered, "You get into that contest and you WIN it!" When I saw the hospital scene in Rocky II as Adrian whispers to her husband the epic word filled with confidence and power, "WIN!" I choked up. I know she must have gotten that line from Helen. Two months later I was given the award for the top seller. The only person who was not surprised was guess who? Because of my mom, I memorized the Presidents of the United States in order when I was ten years old. It only took me three nights to accomplish it. By the time I was fourteen, my intelligence was tested as a freshman in college. But, her influence on me was not primarily intellectual. She programmed a BELIEF in me that I could accomplish anything! There was no failure in my mom's universe. Every setback was actually a success. Just stick around long enough and she would convince anyone they were going to be just fine. Had she been at the Alamo or Custer's Last Stand, history would have been changed forever! Her favorite song was Frank Sinatra's, "That's Life!" The lyrics were her anthem.... "That's life, that's what all the people say. You're riding high in April, shot down in May. But, I know I'm going to change that tune, When I'm back on top, back on top in June! That's life I tell ya I can't deny it, I thought of quitting baby, But my heart just ain't gonna buy it." My mom loved that song because she was always swimming upstream in life. Her mother never wanted her. My dad divorced her...twice. Alcohol consumed her and cigarettes eventually killed her. Three days before she died of lung cancer, she was still smoking as if to say, "I know this is wrong, but I am going to die the way I lived." And, she did. The doctors were amazed she survived her illness as long as she did. She welcomed chemotherapy like an actor loves applause. She resembled Elizabeth Taylor when I was in elementary school and she looked like President Zachary Taylor at her passing. But, in her soul, she had the same indomitable spirit, the classic ne'er say die determination, the romantic, "your father still wants me, you know," the inimitable non-sequiturs, "She's thinks she's big spuds, but she's small POTATOES!" and, the charming innocence of a girl who never really grew up emotionally until the end of her life. When I ran home from kindergarten on the last day of school because Cynthia Hunt kissed me, my mom exclaimed, "NEVER wash your face again!" When I fell off a friend's handlebars on the way to a Little League game and returned afterwards with blood all over it, she blurted out, "You look like you were in the Civil War!" When I cussed out a police officer in college to impress my friends and he threw me in jail to teach me a lesson, I called my mom for sympathy. Forget it. She laughed and said, "You better make sure your FATHER never finds out!" She was more than a mom. She was a character out of a novel, a wealth of memorable quotations, an ongoing entertainment center, a source of constant inspiration and my best friend. She would never be mistaken for Donna Reed, but she was the greatest mom I could have ever had. She passed away on the Ides of March, 1990. Like Caesar, she always had a flair for the dramatic. It is on that day and several other days a year that I can still hear her voice smiling at me, "You were always my favorite, Pat, we grew up together." That is why I honor her and think about her on more than just one day a year. She was my mom. You only get one. And, I loved her more than life itself. She will always be in my heart and my memories. Someday, I will be buried next to her in the little cemetery next to the small valley town where I grew up in central California. Here's to you, Mom! I miss you wherever you are. Thanks for giving me life, making me believe and teaching me that no matter what happens, it will only get better. It is not enough to simply say, "Happy Mother's Day," but, I have a feeling, even if we are only celebrating your life for 24 hours, you understand how much I love you... ------------ About the author: Pat Hurley has won three Emmy awards for writing, hosting and producing television shows. He resides in Southern California. Email: coolhumor@sbcglobal.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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