My Mama

On my ninth birthday I asked for chicken nuggets for dinner and rainbow sherbet for dessert. Seems pretty run-of-the-mill, but not in 1986! Chicken nuggets were only served in fine eating establishments like the Golden Corral and McDonald's back in the day. The frozen, processed, breaded chunks we are now so fond of, were merely a twinkle in Mr. Tyson's eye back then. Birthday dinners were a big deal for my mama. Dad didn't allow us to have big parties, so choosing the menu on your special day was a real treat! And mama never disappointed.

I remember driving all over town with her, hunting for that rainbow sherbet. We stopped in every grocery store, High's and 7-11 in Jefferson County, West Virginia. I waited in the front seat of our blue station wagon, as Mom ran into the last store. She came back a few minutes later, looking deflated. "I'm so sorry honey, I can't find rainbow sherbet anywhere." For years after that, Mom would buy rainbow sherbet just for me, every time she found it on the ice cream aisle. That's just the way my mama is.

 Her grandchildren anxiously await her yearly arrival. They've been dreaming about Grandma's pound cakes and chocolate pies for months. No sooner does she get out of the car, after a two day journey, than she's in my kitchen, cooking up each person's special request. Her visit also signals an annual laundry room over-haul. It'll be the only time in twelve months that our feet will actually touch the tile in there! She's a keeper, our grandma!

I have a chest in my room, filled to the brim with cards, beautiful hand painted works of art. Each one sent to us on a special occasion, or simply to say "I love you", from my mama. She says it bring her joy to make them. I tell you, it's a delight to see what she'll create next. She's an artist, my mama.

Truth be told, she's so much more. I'd be lost without her. Happy Mother's Day, Mama. I love you.

Grandma and Ruby