The Holidays and Sentimentality.

cardiacpaul · #1 (**permalink**) 12-14-2008

..................

AjariBonten · #2 (**permalink**) 12-14-2008

Nice Story, Paul

knothead · #3 (**permalink**) 12-14-2008

That warmed the cockles of my cynical old heart CP.

craigtoo · #4 (**permalink**) 12-14-2008

Top 5 posts of all time.

I second that.

tears

tears

tears

. . . . . . . I think I'll call mom now.

Thanks Paul.

sailaway21 · #8 (**permalink**) 12-14-2008

Pure beauty, CP. Got me right through the heart on that one. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.

For me, I sit here thinking, maybe much like you, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why I always had to complicate things. It seems I spent the whole time she was alive thinking of everything that went wrong, or wasn't perfect, and every day since she's been gone realizing just how amazing she really was.

I'll tell you one of the reasons that I think science is no substitute for God and the spiritual. Mothers do the impossible, day in and day out, and sons never notice. And we sons watch them like a clinical scientist, noting every weakness or deficiency. Once they've passed, we abandon science and become spiritualists announcing the miracles we've witnessed. We suddenly discover a million questions we'd have like to ask Mom but would settle for just one answer, the answer to, "how'd you do all that?". Today, I can hardly remember what was so clear to me then regarding Mom. Today I can hardly remember anything but the good about her. Today, I sit and wonder how I could miss the big idea for so long and wonder why it takes her absence to see it so clearly. It wasn't like she wasn't pushing me in this direction either. She wasn't really religious but certainly spiritual. And I don't know anybody else who was right about so many important things. I cannot imagine that all sons are as obtuse as I was but, maybe, I don't know. I wish I could tell her that I'm starting to, "get it" but of course I cannot even though I think she knows somehow.

I, like you, miss that old woman. And while it hurts a bit it also feels good to sit and miss her because I know that nothing can hurt that bad that doesn't kill me. And it feels good because I've got those memories and that's the best stuff I've got in this here world. If that's sentimental, put me down as being for it! Thanks, CP...don't know what I'd do without you some days.

sailingdog · #9 (**permalink**) 12-15-2008

CP-

Thanks for that... she sounds like she was a gem... wacky, but I see where you get it from now...

Happy Chanukah/Merry Christmas... happy holidays in any case.

bubb2 · #10 (**permalink**) 12-15-2008

Paul, thank you so much for that post.

It has been 3 months for me almost to the minute. I remember so much how my girls loved their Grandmothers Christmas goodies. My mother is now in a home and can no longer remember her recipe's. We take goodies to her now. She takes one bite and says, I didn't make these!!!!! lol

Bless you Paul and Bless your Mother.