Yesterday was a special day — Mother’s Day, a day to remember our mothers, our family and friends and the wonderful women who touch our lives every day. While my mother passed away nearly seven years ago, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about her.
My mom always said that “life is just a bowl of cherries.” As a child, I never really understood what it meant, but as I grew older, I could see how she lived her life. What she passed on to me was her love of life and her approach of enjoying life to the fullest, even the “pits.”
My mom was always the eternal optimist--she believed that having hope was a blessing. She barely finished high school (probably because she was a bit of a social butterfly) and worked most of her life as a bookkeeper. After the Japanese internment of WW2 where she and her family were relocated from California to Postin, Arizona, she moved to Cleveland and worked as a maid. I never heard her talk about the prejudice she experienced at the time of the war. She only mentioned how wonderful the family was that she worked for in Cleveland. I will always remember her stories of growing up during the Depression where her favorite Christmas gift was a six-pack of Coca-Cola, and her treat was that she could drink it all by herself, and not have to share it with any of her six older siblings. My mom kept life simple and taught us to appreciate the little things in life.
Most of all, my mom was truly an inspiration to our small family of my dad, my brother and me. She was the glue that held us all together and made us laugh even in the darkest of times. It was her optimism that I inherited and, hopefully, will pass on to our daughter.
As a mother, I now appreciate my mom more than ever. I was so excited yesterday to be spending the day in New York with our daughter, Allison. As I think about what makes Mother’s Day special, it is really about my mom and what she gave to me. Mom, I miss you so much but you are always with me. For me, every day is Mother’s Day and I am grateful to have had such a special mom who taught me to cherish every moment, as life is precious.
Barbara
By blogger Barbara Adachi, Deloitte LLP
