Photo from the Graham Archives, “Mom & Me”, Mothers Day, Ontario, 2013

“Monday 5 Things”™  ….. Mom …..

Saturdays were some of my favorites as a young boy. Mom and I would walk to the small library in a little town called Durham. Once there, she would let me have unhurried free reign to slowly roam amongst the books. I would often walk down each aisle, running my fingertips over the spines of tomes. Mom would always say that books and maps let you travel to places that you’ve never been to whenever you want, just by using your mind. Some days I would solve mysteries with the Hardy Boys. Other days I would sit, spell-bound looking at photographs in National Geographic and Life magazines. Some Saturdays were spent sitting at a large table, having picked one volume of an encyclopedia, and learning new things. Other times, with an oversized dictionary, we would search together for new words. We would usually finish with her quietly standing behind me as I would run my fingers over the textured contours of a large globe dreaming of places I wanted to visit. It’s been almost seven years since my mom passed of Alzheimer’s. What I would give to be able to have just one more visit with her to the library.  As I do each year, this morning’s M5T is an homage to the women that have influenced our lives. The women we call Mom.

1. Big shoes

“My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the ability to achieve starts in your mind.” ~ Michael Jordan

2. Leader

“My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her.” ~ George Washington

3. Supreme

“My mother told me two things constantly. One was to be a lady, and the other was to be independent.” ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg

4. Artist

“My mother said to me, ‘If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.’ Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso.” ~ Pablo Picasso

5. Teacher

“…a mother is the one who fills your heart in the first place. She teaches you the nature of happiness: what is the right amount, what is too much, and the kind that makes you want more of what is bad for you. A mother helps her baby flex her first feelings of pleasure. She teaches her when to later exercise restraint, or to take squealing joy in recognizing the fluttering leaves of the gingko tree, to sense a quieter but more profound satisfaction in chancing upon an everlasting pine. A mother enables you to realize that there are different levels of beauty and therein lie the sources of pleasure, some of which are popular and ordinary, and thus of brief value, and others of which are difficult and rare, and hence worth pursuing.” ~ Amy Tan, ‘Saving Fish from Drowning’.

Here’s to my mom, your mom, and all the other moms in our lives.

© 2023 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved

For over 11 years, D. Paul Graham has published “Monday 5 Things” ™, also known to readers as M5T. You can reach Paul by email at dpg@imagegraham.com