Mother's Day

I went over to the Villa on Mother's Day for their annual Mother's Day Brunch. We were seated with the former chaplain and his wife, and we had a wonderful time. It was great to be over there with Mother. She is finally doing well, happy, and looking chipper most of the time. I think this is my favorite picture of her, of all time (above). I can only hope I am as beautiful as she is when I am 80.

When Mother was a child she was told that you're to look dignified when taking pictures. In particular, "...don't show your teeth like a gopher." So over the years, she's sent me these awful pictures of herself looking miserable--her mouth clamped shut into a straight line, a severe expression on her face. Without knowing the injunctions she had as a child, I just figured that she enjoyed looking haggard or like a martyr. I tucked many of them away and tried not to look at them because I always felt bad assuming that she was as miserable as she looked. In this picture, I had just told her that I was tired of having these mental images of her and that now I'd like to have a big grin from her. You can see that she is trying it out here, standing in front of her painting. Her eyes got the idea but her mouth didn't.

We tried again down by the flower garden. Mother was getting slap-happy from all the posing and instructions. I said, "Just look natural." She ended up looking good and sauced. "I look like three sheets to the wind!" she laughed. So we stopped trying. It would only be spontaneous shots from here on out. We cracked up and went back inside.

This is one of Mother's friends, good old Charles. She knew his wife and he knew my father over 50 years ago. When they discovered this a year ago, they became fast friends. They are the same age and both have jolly dispositions. He tells me wryly, "My job is to keep your mother humble." He teases her unmercifully and she gives it right back. When he saw that Mother had changed out of her brunch clothes he commented on it, then added piously, "I decided to sacrifice and stay dressed up in honor of all the mothers around here."
Without up a pause Mother shot back, "How big of you!" and they both laughed uproariously. She plunked down on his walker and they kept up a banter as I barked at them to "give it a little dignity." Charles whispered to Mother, "I think that woman is trying to tell us what to do." She rolled her eyes. That brought forth gales of laughter again. Seeing Mother so happy was truly the best thing on Mother's Day.