my favorite part of Mothers & Fathers day season is the juxtaposition of my parents and people of their generation lamenting our generation "not knowing what sacrifice is" when they sacrifice their grandkids future at the altar of Exxon Mobil.
I think maybe the best tribute I can make to my mom (other than to mention how decent, how sweet, how respectful to others she was), is to show you pictures of our garden.
She was an artist, but also a gardener. She somehow instilled both of those things in me, so that twenty-three years after she passed and 3000 miles away, we have a nice garden. I think of her often when I’m working in it.
Her garden was full of roses, boxwood, azaleas and wildflowers. I wish I had pictures of it to show you.
And especially the the moms out there in the Fediverse! It is Mother's Day in the US and here is a picture of the 2 best moms in my life. On the left is my wife, Gabrielle, mother to our 2 fantastic daughters (including @adrienne). She's incredibly hard working and selfless. And on the right is my mom, Christine. Same description holds. She's been gone 5 years and would have loved how her granddaughters are coming along. #MothersDay
Making plans for #MothersDay.
I'm taking Mom out for weekend of fun & pretty sights. Butterfly Gardens, on West Saanich Rd, offers free admission for all Moms on Mother's Day. We will go there, after family brunch at home. We're going to drop a crab trap at a small dock in Sidney before Butterfly Gardens & check it a few hours later. We'll visit a nature park for walk & have picnic eats by the seaside. We'll go feed some goats, after picnic. Then go check my crab trap & hopefully catch a few 😊
Completed my illuminated manuscript of Psalm 93 in time for Mother's Day!
I used a modern variation of the Beneventan hand, which was most widely used in southern Italy in the middle ages. The historical script had lots of ligatures, but those are hard for modern readers, so I didn't use any here. This is also the hand where our modern question mark originated.
My youngest daughter called to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. And told me that I am the BEST mom ever and she's so happy we have a great mother-daughter relationship. I got teary.
Made Mother's Day lemon scones for Zoom High Tea with faraway friends. #MothersDay
My husband is feeding me coffee and spoiling me (like he does every day).
Happy Mother's Day to Carol Kaye. Born in Everett, Washington. Gave birth to her first child at 16. Eventually supported three kids as a top session musician in a field dominated by men.
The Great Greyleen.
Momma Cat.
Snarly to people and a Good Mom to her boys.
I thought she was around 6, but I've been told 7 or 8 might be more realistic. That's a good ripe age for a #feral cat. Her boys will leave the yard. She very rarely does.
Mom and Sister were arguing in the early 2000s after a family lunch. They were 65/40. It was one of those loud, cutting-all-ties, Southern Hillbilly last-word contests. Mom screamed,
"You were an accident. I love you just the same, but you were an accident."
What Sister knew in that moment that Mom didn't know she knew is that Dad had already told her he questioned her paternity.
She and I share the family homestead, and I remembered that day Sunday.
Reminder: Abusive parents exist and that sometimes includes mothers. You are under no obligation to honor abusive parents, and you don't deserve to feel any shame or guilt about it. Abuse is never the victim's fault.
On this Mother's Day, I'd like to talk about raising the bar for fathers. Because the bar is set really low for us, guys.
To be a ‘good’ father, all you have to do is like, not beat your children, maybe take them to a ball game every other weekend, and hold down a job.
But to be a ‘good’ mother? You have to feed your kids healthy food, make sure their hair is cut and they're clean, get them new clothes as they rapidly grow, communicate with the school, bring them to after school activities, volunteer at said activities, make sure their homework is done, help them with personal problems, comfort them when they're upset, keep track of who they're friends with, make friends with the moms of their friends, all while making sure your home looks like no one lives in it. Oh yeah, and go to work, because according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 74% of mothers are also working.
She doesn't want flowers or jewelry, she wants you to pick up some of the crushing mountain of tasks and societal expectations!