Happy Mother's Day!

11:55 PM Elizabeth Seckman 36 Comments

My mom, Corky.
Believe it or not... she doesn't drink.
This Christmas, a friend of mine shared what I believe is a common, seldom discussed, often hidden fear:

Am I a total mom fail because my halls are not decked with boughs of holly and not a single sugar plum...or cookie...dances in a head...or a cookie jar?

Now, can I be honest?

I'm not at all crafty. Staying between the lines when I color is my highest level of artistic success.

I'll also confess my hatred of cooking. I do it, but only so no one starves to death. 

And decorating? My theory is less bric-a-brac = less dusting. 

When it comes to perfection, I am so far from the zone, it'd take light years for my sometimes bubble-headed self to float there. 

But, I don't worry.

I was raised by a mom who put her own spin on Betty Homemaker.

My mom might not always be there with a plate of cookies, but her kids can never escape her advice...her care...or her love. 

My mom is also the kind of mom who never squashed a dream. 

When I was eleven, I got grounded, hard to tell what for...probably my big mouth. I hated to be grounded. I was always a girl on the go. So, I wrote my mom a card with the following promise: "Please, beautiful Mommy please- unground me. If you unground me now, when I am a famous writer, I will buy you a mansion."

My mom bought me a type writer and subscription to "Writer's Digest". 

She still has the card. She keeps it safe, just waiting to cash it in. Every now and then, she gets a little antsy and does her own "career development". 

This summer she called me and asked, "What's a RITA?"

I said, "It's an award, sort of like the Pulitzer Prize of romance."

Mom said, "Well, that's how Norah Roberts got her start. You should win that."

I said (with much sarcasm), "Sure. I'll get right on that."

Nonplussed, Mom says, "Good, let me know if you need me to call someone and nominate you."

That's my mom.

And I want to say thanks. 

Thanks for always believing in me more than I believe in myself. 

And for teaching a child that whimsy can be as crucial as logic. 

36 comments:

  1. Nice tribute to mom and you mention something that, I think, is universal with moms....

    ...they don't forget anything!

    You're mom is still waiting to cash that card in and good for her, lol.

    Happy Mother's Day :)

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    1. Good point Mark! Mothers don't forget. Kids only think they get away with stuff!

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  2. OMGosh I was sooooo hoping you'd post something about your Mom, so I could say:

    HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM :)

    ((CORKY))

    and I suppose, sigh, I should say the same to you, too, CyberTwinny :)

    ((LIZ))

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    1. Little does she know she has more kids to add to the Christmas list...she'd never notice- with all her kids and grandkids, it's a more like a novel than a list anyway!

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  3. Love the story, and the tribute to your mother. That's wonderful that she's so supportive.

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    1. My mom is never anything but supportive, unless it's when we do something bad. But even then, she's more likely to aid in the cover up rather than rat us out.

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  4. Your mum/mom sounds fantastic. It really feels great to be taken seriously when you're that age. My mum never got the writer side of me, but my dad bought me a subscription to a writing magazine - in fact he was still paying for it after I left home, until my mum noticed... whoops! I love that photo too :-) Have a great mother's day.

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    1. How sweet of your dad! My dad was the pragmatic one. He'd encourage me to follow my dreams and to be sure I had a back up plan!

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  5. Such a beautiful tribute, no mom is perfect but a mom that's there is perfect to her children.

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  6. Your mom is no-nonsense.
    And if she does get someone to nominate you, let us know!

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    1. Uh oh...she's going to call me now..."that Alex fellow would vote for you"

      :) Thanks for the support of any possible, though highly unlikely nomination.

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  7. Nice. The best thing about those who have great times without drinking is that they can remember the great times the next morning. Enjoy your day!

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    1. Totally agree! What fun is not remembering anything?

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  8. Your mum sounds wonderful! Looking at her photo, I'm reminded of my mum and all the ridiculous photos I have of her. She was always supportive and encouraged my whimsy! She didn't live to see me published, but I'm sure she knows! Lovely post! x

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    1. My father didn't either Linda, but I believe as you do...they know.

      Probably no surprise that we dreamers were raised by people who believed in chasing the impossible.

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  9. Your Mom is awesome! My Mom is sort of like that too (she's offered to call a variety of famous directors because she thinks my books will make great movies!).

    Anyhow, it's great your mom supports your big dreams. This crazy writing thing is just wild without that kind of support.

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    1. I had to chuckle at that. Let's never get my mom and your mom together. They might form a band of crazy moms who harass the all the heads of the different industries!

      I think you're right too. This business is so hard on the ego, if we didn't have a cheerleader, it would be very easy to walk away.

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  10. Your mom put a smile on my face. She's great and your tribute to her is sweet.
    Happy Mother's Day to both of you! Dragon hugs :)

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    1. I love dragon hugs! Thank you so much. :)

      Human hug back at ya!

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  11. That hat is sheer brilliance, as is wimsy and your mom!
    Happy Mother's day!

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    1. The grandkids got her the hat. It really is quite fashionable!

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  12. I teared up a little reading this, so sweet!

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    1. See? Mom's who dream and teach kids to dream can be just as important as mom's who make Martha Stewart look like an amateur.

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  13. Hah! Love it!!!! That is so funny--"you should win that". But seriously, where would be without moms like this?

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    1. I'd be in a cubicle answering incoming crisis support calls. :)

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  14. Aw, I love her. Hugs to Corky!

    And hugs to you fellow mom! I love the letter you wrote on behalf of ungrounding. lol:)

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  15. your mom is fabulous!
    i dont like cooking either, as you know. but i can be crafty =)

    heres to our crazy, lovable moms!

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  16. What a lovely heartfelt post and I enjoyed the sentiment. My mom once told me I could be whatever I wanted and that stuck with me all these years.

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    1. And you're mom was right. Super huge congrats for being in the top ten. That's totally a big deal!!

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  17. Yeah. Listen to your mom on that RITA comment. *smile*

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    1. I won't hold my breath, but it's nice to know she thinks I'm capable!

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  18. Fabulous picture of your mom. I love this tribute to her. You painted a wonderful sense of your mom in just a few words. That award may not be as far off as you think!!

    And I am known around these parts as "The Anti-Scrapper" since all of my friends scrap book and I told them I'd rather stick a pencil in my eye than sit around playing with stickers and scraps. LOL

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    1. I don't scrapbook either. I shoe box, does that count? I put all their awards and stuff in a shoe box. If they ever want to scrapbook them, then they can have at it!

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