My mother makes a very satisfactory leader of my Fan Club. She is, undoubtedly, First Fan, as many mothers are. The hallmark of her grace is in the way she embodies this position, not simply as a role, but as a genuine expression. I never get the feeling that she encourages me out of obligation. I believe she really likes me. What a stroke of good fortune!
This morning I got an e-mail from her titled “catching up on the blogs”. I felt her heart bubbling over like she had just emerged from an afternoon reading a favorite novel. She had associations, appreciations, memories, connections to share, like her synapses were fireworks going off. From a reader to a writer, this has got to be the highest praise. She started off by remarking, in all caps, that there has to be a book in this somewhere and that she wants an autographed first edition. Aw, Mom!
My mom is not a literary push over. She has a degree in English from Radcliffe (now coed with Harvard). She devours books regularly and always has. Her typical posture these days is sitting in her high-backed rocker with knitting in hand, book strapped in on her reading stand, mind and fingers flying. She used to hide away in her bedroom with a bag of snacks and emerge an hour or so later with renewed energy to tackle her household obligations, sporting a kind of secret glow. Get her talking about one of her recent historical sagas, and she will enthusiastically engage for hours! I love seeing her pull thoughts that have been carefully laid aside like unmatched socks and bundle them together with a flourish of discovery and pride.
She recently told me that her doctor mentioned her good prospects for living another 20 years. That would make her 97; she wasn’t sure she’d want to live that long. But think of all the books you could still read! Or that could be read to you, if the cataracts cause the eyes to fail. I can still hear my father’s voice reading to her behind the bedroom door. His partnership to her intellectually was so rich, until Alzheimer’s whittled his brain away. I wonder if she feels the same phantom guilt I have in enjoying a healthy body and a sound mind after our husbands’ deaths. Well, I suppose consciousness is a responsibility to approach with reverence. We live, we feel, we think, we read, we make connections still. May we both bring life and light to the world like fireworks, Mom, as long as we are able.
Mom (photo credit: DKK)
scillagrace 
What a lovely post! I can definitely see the family resemblance between the two of you.
I become more like her every day, I think!
You can certainly see who you belong to Scilla 🙂 a lovely post..
Thanks! I really like remembering I belong. 🙂
Lovely post.
Thank you. She’s a lovely woman!
I agree. A nice post, Priscilla. You are very, very lucky to have a mother like her !
Merci. I hope also to be a mother like her!
“I love seeing her pull thoughts that have been carefully laid aside like unmatched socks and bundle them together with a flourish of discovery and pride. ” great line! It is fun to hear her pleasure in speaking of her various fascinations. I love your mom too!! –DKK
And the picture is perfect! We are truly fortunate.
So so so sweet! And you are so so so fortunate! And twice blessed because you know it.
I am! Thanks!
Oh I remember that sweet face and she still looks the same and she a beautiful spirit as well. It is such a treat to have your mom as your #1 fan, my mom was the same way.
She does indeed! Yup, we’ve been blessed.
Many decades ago I built a reading stand so that I could read while doing other things with my hands. I should have patented it! lol
It’s a great idea; possibly many people have come up with it!
This is a beautiful line: “The hallmark of her grace is in the way she embodies this position, not simply as a role, but as a genuine expression.” Lovely post!
Thank you very much, Marina! I appreciate your visit…come again!
I will! I am a follower 🙂
I hope that’s not the same as a disciple! 😉
well, this post had alot of lovely things to say, so there may eb a fine line between disciple and blog follower 🙂
I’m flattered!