Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

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

Comments

[Mrs.Shah]

Really mothers are amazing personalities. By God's Grace my mother is alive and I pray to God she should live longer and longer with good health.

[Odetta]

This is great info to know.

[Judy in Pittsburgh]

My mother's day weekend was humming along just fine, I was actually making progress on a household project when my daughter called for the 6th time. She had been doing errands for me, a wonderful development since she got her license, and called me as she arrived at each location to make sure she was getting the right gift or item. The 6th call was a zinger. She had just rear ended another car, crushed the trunk of a 15 year old Honda Civic and pushed it under the car in front of it, which was dangling with its rear tires 2 feet in the air. How in the world did the day go from one extreme to the other? After my husband and I lectured her on the ramifications of her actions, to make sure she doesn't gloss over the effect she had on the other people's live who were involved in the accident, we moved on to enjoy the next day with our mothers. My mother will turn 80 this year and my mother-in-law is 85. These women have provided us with a strong foundation of love and security with which to parent our children. Hopefully, we have built upon that foundation a loving and secure home for them that they will enjoy until they embark on their own life's journey. Happy Mother's Day to all!!

[Tracey in Melbourne]

I loved reading this blog. I lost my mother 9 years ago and your comments really resonated with me. I also think about my mum each day and the gifts that she gave me in my attitude and outlook on life. My mum was also the glue that held our family together and the challenge is with each of us to recreate that in our own way as we have our own families. In doing so she lives on in the future generations, even though they may never have met.