To Mumsy, with love from Clumsy

That’s how one of my early Mother’s Day cards read… and it has become a joke with my Mom and I my whole life to date. With Mom’s Day fast approaching, I thought I would remark on how much Moms help us get over those parts of ourselves that we think aren’t so great. Moms are the ones who show us those parts can be the most precious of all.

I was only a few years old when I gave my Mom the “From Clumsy” card, but I distinctly remember asking her as a young teenager, “Mom, this being clumsy stuff, it’s just a phase, right? I will grow out of it, won’t I??” To which her reply was, “No dear, you will just have to learn how to be graceful at it”. For someone who felt like an ugly duckling, it was a hard blow to take, but it was one of the best truths I have ever heard. My Mom’s comments are the reason I managed to keep the damage to my face at a minimum growing up – I never walked into a wall at full speed because her warning made me more careful, more aware of how I moved and how all my parts moved together. She made me more aware of my body in a positive way.

We were talking tonight on the phone and Mom mentioned how she always thought I was something special. I laughed, and she laughed back. Anyone who is a daughter (or a Mother) knows that I laughed because as a girl I never believed it when my Mom said those things. I just thought she said them because of some universal unwritten law that said Mothers had to gush all over their daughters. It was only as a grown up that I discovered my Mom doesn’t give undeserved compliments to anyone - I deserved every bit of praise she gave me. It was only fitting, as she was the person who taught me how to be special gracefully.

In a day and age where everything moves at the speed of light and we often forget to cherish the little things, I am proud to say I am someone who tries to pass on the message my Mom always had: “Take the time to stop and smell the flowers”. I don’t have a daughter of my own, but when I spend my time as “Poppy” with the Girl Guides I know and love, I try my best to pass along the wonder in the little things, and the need to have and enjoy everyday skills like cooking and reading, and the importance of respect for others that my Mom passed on to me.

I am blessed to have had a lifetime of memories with my Mom, and to still have a fantastic friendship with the lady I grew up with. Last week when I was in Vancouver visiting her, it was just like old times… she spoiled me rotten, making me breakfast and listening to all my stories with full attention and sharing her latest favourite books and passing on cool pieces of clothing so I would look cool. We talked and talked and talked, solving the problems of the world. It is a special thing to have someone in your life who loves you unconditionally. The only other “person” I know who does that has four legs.

I hope you have someone you can celebrate with this Mother’s Day. Everyone deserves to feel loved, especially on their clumsy days, and the best way to be thankful for that is to love that person right back.

Kristin

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.