Mommy
Today is my Mommy's birthday.
(It's my buddy J.C's birthday as well, but when it comes down to it...he loses big to Mommy. Happy Birthday anyway, second-fiddle).
And I thought of Mom when I was finishing up the Bruce biography written by Peter Ames Carlin - a great read for Bruce fans - it ain't all money and sheer happiness.
Yet towards the end of the book there was an interview with Bruce's mom and she was talking about the impact that her son's success had on the family dynamic. The money changed it all for all of them for generations and generations and she was putting that change into the context of the sadness they'd suffered through the years.
"I look at him and I can't believe he's my son," she says.
That's how I feel about my Mom.
Her toughness is extraordinary.
She wants to cry every minute but she disguises the sadness with a hearty laugh.
Her work ethic exceeds her toughness.
"What're you doing?" I asked her over the summer.
"Landscaping," she said. "I've been out there all day."
"There was nothing that needed to be done," I answered, dismayed by the thought of her working so hard.
"I want to do it."
And it's funny because as adults we are all left to wonder who worked harder, Mom or Dad, and it's not really as close a call as some think.
Mom was always moving.
And I think of the love she shared, nurtured and demanded in return. She still has a collar from a dog that died back in the 1970's and I'm sure if you took it out and held it in front of her she'd cry...missing that dog from 35 years ago.
So, it's impossible to not incorporate it into your own life.
And I know we are all lucky for having grown in that love.
There are so many others who don't get the chance, or never feel the grace of such a love.
You see why you take such a huge back seat, John?
You see why I think a lot like Bruce's mom?
I can't believe she's my Mom.
You feel that way when you're surrounded by greatness.
(It's my buddy J.C's birthday as well, but when it comes down to it...he loses big to Mommy. Happy Birthday anyway, second-fiddle).
And I thought of Mom when I was finishing up the Bruce biography written by Peter Ames Carlin - a great read for Bruce fans - it ain't all money and sheer happiness.
Yet towards the end of the book there was an interview with Bruce's mom and she was talking about the impact that her son's success had on the family dynamic. The money changed it all for all of them for generations and generations and she was putting that change into the context of the sadness they'd suffered through the years.
"I look at him and I can't believe he's my son," she says.
That's how I feel about my Mom.
Her toughness is extraordinary.
She wants to cry every minute but she disguises the sadness with a hearty laugh.
Her work ethic exceeds her toughness.
"What're you doing?" I asked her over the summer.
"Landscaping," she said. "I've been out there all day."
"There was nothing that needed to be done," I answered, dismayed by the thought of her working so hard.
"I want to do it."
And it's funny because as adults we are all left to wonder who worked harder, Mom or Dad, and it's not really as close a call as some think.
Mom was always moving.
And I think of the love she shared, nurtured and demanded in return. She still has a collar from a dog that died back in the 1970's and I'm sure if you took it out and held it in front of her she'd cry...missing that dog from 35 years ago.
So, it's impossible to not incorporate it into your own life.
And I know we are all lucky for having grown in that love.
There are so many others who don't get the chance, or never feel the grace of such a love.
You see why you take such a huge back seat, John?
You see why I think a lot like Bruce's mom?
I can't believe she's my Mom.
You feel that way when you're surrounded by greatness.
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