Rhonda Hopkins

RHONDA HOPKINS

Young Adult Fiction With Heart

My Mom, Love Personified

One of my facebook friends asked a question last night. “When you think of your mother, what is the first thought that comes to your mind?” My answer, “Love”. That was the word that came to me immediately.

Although my mom isn’t perfect, I can’t imagine having a more perfect mom. Doris Hopkins turned 20 just eight days after giving birth to me. And she has spent each one of those days in the past 48 years (shhhh….don’t tell anyone how old I am!) since then caring for me, my sister, my dad, the grandkids and great-grandkids.

I remember her reading to me when I was little and letting me read to her while I was learning. I credit my love for reading and writing to her. She’s writes awesome poetry. Alas, I didn’t inherit that particular talent, but I admire hers. And she encourages my endeavors.

When I was hurt — which was a lot because I’m so darn klutzy — my mom would wipe my tears, hug me, clean and bandage my boo-boos. Then she would seal it with a kiss to make it heal faster and not hurt anymore. Those kisses were magical.

I was in the hospital on Christmas when I was six. I apparently had told Santa I wanted something for Christmas and Mom had, of course, bought it for me. But I told one of the nurses I wanted a Crissy Doll. Remember her? You could adjust her hair length. A really big deal back then. Plus she was so pretty! This was probably a big shock to my mom as I was not a doll person.

My mom sent out all the relatives on the Crissy hunt and spent time when she wasn’t by my bedside on the phone trying to track her down. She was the “hot” item that year and couldn’t be found. My mom was more upset than I was because she couldn’t give me what I wanted while I was in the hospital.

Fast forward…I was in my teens and mom found a Crissy doll at a garage sale. She cleaned her up and gave her to me with a flourish. She was so excited she could finally present me with the doll I had wanted so many years before. Crissy is now an honored guest among her porcelain doll collection.

All the years of elementary school, my mom was always a room-mother if not the head room-mother. There’s no telling how many cupcakes she made over the years or how many Halloween treat bags she stuffed. If someone in class had a birthday and their mother was not available to bring birthday cupcakes (do they still get to do that?) my mom would fill in the gap. Needless to say, the other kids loved my mom as well. The teachers adored her.

I’d like to say I was a perfect child. I was a good kid, but so not perfect. And my mom disciplined me because that’s love too. She taught me right from wrong and that there are consequences for actions. She taught me responsibility.

I think there are a lot of parents today that want to be more of a friend than a parent. When that happens children lose out on those important life lessons. They and our society suffer because of it. (But, that’s a topic for another day.) My mom loved me enough to teach me to be a responsible member of society. She was a parent when I needed her to be one.

Now, although she’s still my mom, she’s a friend too. She still encourages me, worries about me, and I know I can count on her. She never gives up (remember Crissy) and she always believes in me.

I could go on and on about all the things my wonderful mom has done over the years and the sacrifices she has made, but I won’t. I’ll just say that everyone should be as lucky in the mom department as I am. And, I sincerely hope you are.

And for those of you who no longer have your mom with you, I hope you are blessed with precious memories. {{{hugs}}}

I love you mom! Thank you for all you’ve done and all you still do. Happy Mother’s Day!

Let’s celebrate mothers! I hope you’ll share your thoughts and memories about your mom in the comments section so we can all know how wonderful yours is.

3 thoughts on “My Mom, Love Personified”

  1. Rachel Fowler

    Ditto on all of the above for your mom. While I’ve only known her for the last 21 years I have seen her care not only for her family but the elderly as well. I attribute my foundation in longterm care to your mom! And, I have a Chrissy doll too!

    The first word that popped into my head regarding my mom was ‘strength.’ Now, being an adult, I have the advantage of 20/20 hindsight. My mother was a young and unexpected widow. At the time, of course, I could only view that experience in life threw my eyes having ‘lost my daddy’ as if I was the only suffering through this traumatic event. I’ll never know what she endured emotionally or financially because of my father’s untimely death. I can imagine what it was like because I now am a wife and mother, but to truly know what it was like, I cannot. Suffice it say that when I reflect on this circumstance in life it still, at times, freshens my grief for my daddy and all that I did not have in a father/daughter relationship because he was taken Heavenward at such a young age. However, I reflect in amazement at how my mom ‘made it’ and is still with me today. I hope that I have a small portion of her strength of character and perseverance.

    1. Hi Rachel! Thank you for the kind words about mom. I hope you know she considers you her third daughter. It must have been a real struggle for your mom after the loss of your dad. What an amazing woman she is. And she raised such a wonderfully kind daughter who’s pretty amazing herself. 🙂

  2. Pingback: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to a Garage Sale | Author Rhonda Hopkins

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