3.28.2011

My Mother's Daughter

On my way to the optometrist this morning, I saw a bumper sticker so funny that I literally did laugh out loud-- and loudly. It startled me (and made my day), because it sounded exactly like my mom's laugh. That wouldn't be a surprise to anyone who knows us both (though the cackling-in-stereo is unnerving to the uninitiated). She has a fabulous sense of humor, and an incredible ability to find humor hidden in unexpected places. I remember one summer car ride with my mom and my husband-- she and I had invented a game that had us roaring, and poor Dave had no idea what was going on.

I think people believe that estrangement means absence of affection, respect, wonder, admiration, love. In my experience, that's not true at all; I still feel those things for my mom. It's more like taking shelter in a storm, while longing and praying for clear skies.

5 comments:

  1. Sarah Miller5:19 PM

    I love this! My sister called me in Sacramento from San Diego for help on a writing assignment. We used to tease our mom and aunts for their long distance, sound-alike cackling, but a couplet comparing my sister's three-legged dog to Jesus sent us into our own fits. Funnier because we both heard our mom and aunts in ourselves. Laughing about laughing is wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a cool ray of sunshine this morning!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful analogy. I hope that those clear skies come sooner than later. If not, at least you have the memory of laughter!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for this, dear one. My relationship with my brother was a little like that. I always loved him.

    ReplyDelete
  5. MB, I think you understand.

    ReplyDelete

"So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was."
-Saint Molly Ivins