Celebrating my Mom!
Celebrating my Mom on Mother's Day!
2023 Update for Mother's Day!
It is Mother’s Day 2023… I wrote this a few years ago to share my love and admiration for my mom.
This last year has reminded me more of how amazing and strong she is.
My father, her husband of sixty-three years, passed away, and her courage and strength through these trying times are a great reminder of why I admire her.
Her zest for life, her love of her family, and her inner strength to cope with a new life without my Dad in a new home is amazing and a lesson to her family.
Hope all the mothers in the world have a fabulous day!.
You start out Mother's Day thinking about your early years
of life.
My earliest memories were in Lagrange, GA. I vaguely remember picking pecans from the grove nearby and going to the Struletzes, where they had a candy cabinet, not just a shelf but a whole
cabinet of candy. I remember cousins
visiting and getting into trouble. I
also remember Marcia and Walter off to kindergarten and preschool.
But, my first memories, specifically around my Mom, were in
Savannah. We moved back to Savannah when I was around 5. We moved into
a nearby house near the synagogue, and the bathroom had
cartoon pictures of naked people. My Mom was working at my Grandpa's dress store. She always made sure I was cared for before she got home, including lunch with Granny and Grandpa on many days. She would make sure that if I was to head home, I was watched afterward, and she would be home in the afternoon for us.
We moved into the current house they still live in when I was 7,
and to make it easy for some of you, that was 50 years ago.
My mom joined the club to host family meals. Seders is a great cook, so it became natural for the Silverman family to have meals at the house as well as at Aunt Janet and Aunt Fay's.
Childhood Years
As I grew up and started school at Savannah Hebrew Day School, some days were more challenging than others for me. Occasionally, she or I would forget to make my lunch, and she would show up during the morning classes, waltz into class, and bring me lunch from
the local kosher deli at the time. I certainly didn't mind, and she made me feel
quite special. I can still remember the smell of a warm corned beef sandwich.
I won't go into too many details regarding her effort for my Bar Mitzvah. The stuffing of envelopes of invitations for days, the catering, and the cooking for the Saturday night dinner at the
house. The memory that stands out is that my Bar Mitzvah was a week after my birthday, and since my birthday is around Thanksgiving, she was worried it would go unnoticed. So, she and Dad took me to get a watch on my
birthday. It was a Timex digital watch, and
it made me feel love in the chaos.
I also remember her meeting with Mr. Gottlieb to decide on a menu at the shul kiddish after my Bar Mitzvah. I was sitting there, and he asked if she wanted me there. He said most parents decide on the menu. Mom said it was my bar mitzvah, and she wanted to make sure I would be happy with the plans.
Early Adult and College Years
When I advanced to college, my parents were not too focused
on my studies. Honestly, I was so
determined and driven at that age that they didn't need to be. However, Mom was focused on me, my
health, and my happiness. I remember going
home for a school break exhausted. I
wanted to graduate with honors and was determined to push myself at school and as a co-op at IBM. I am sure I looked worn out. She sat me aside one day and asked me what
would be so wrong if I got a "B" on occasion and had some fun and
relaxed. She was proud of my accomplishments but has always wanted me to focus on the quality of my life.
As an adult, I inherited my core strengths, from
my Mom. My Mom is loving and caring but also the strongest person in my life. She set me up for a long career working
with and for strong and amazing women. She worked to get something for the house if my mom wanted it. If there was a problem in the family, she
would find a way to help and resolve the issue.
Whether it was my sister's accident in Italy, my Grandmother needing to
be moved to Savannah, caring for my Grandpa and Grandmother, or any other issue
with my Dad and us, my mother never complained or seemed frustrated by the
challenge. She just did what needed to be done and moved forward.
As I got older, we became mother and son and great friends, travel companions, and shopping
companions. We had some great fun together, whether walking through a rainforest in Puerto Rico, shopping for furniture in Fort Lauderdale, or enjoying New York.
Some other memories of my Mom:
- Went to the circus at Callaway Gardens with her, Aunt Theresa, and Uncle Kenny.
- She put together a great care package as I moved into my first apartment in Jacksonville. It included towels, sheets, glasses, and other things I needed. It made starting out much easier, and I was lucky to have her be so thoughtful.
- Her "surprise" birthday party was in New Jersey with her family. Going to Soho in NYC for lunch, running through the Chelsea Market, finding the best foods and more for her party... and watching her cringe in and out of yellow cabs, but she was a trooper, and we had a great party that weekend.
- Vacationing in Laguna Beach, CA, going to the San Diego Zoo, and eating a salad with rare Ahi Tuna made her quite happy. We also saw my Aunt Gloria and cousin, visited Muscle Beach, and more. This was right after 9/11. It would have been easy to choose to stay home, but not my Mom!
- Going to Puerto Rico on an IBM award trip, eating chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne together, and watching the ocean go by. Then, my brother's twins were born while we were in Puerto Rico, and my Mom stayed in Atlanta to be with them after the trip. She made sure Delta got her luggage off the plane in Atlanta and did not send it to Savannah.
- Shopping for furniture in Fort Lauderdale when I moved down. Shopping for furnishings in Atlanta. Shopping in New York, New Jersey... and just shopping was always an adventure.
- We went to Broadway shows in New York, including Beauty and the Beast, Ragtime, Golda’s Balcony with Mom and Dad, and Joan Rivers in West Palm Beach.
So, how lucky I am to have her as my Mom! She is a great mom but continues to be my best friend, a model for how to be a good spouse, and a model of strength that I have
wanted to emulate since my memories began.
I celebrate her and wish her much love and a very happy and
joyous Mother's Day!
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