#MomStories

My mother is a very warm, gentle, and caring soul. She continuously and naturally does things, large and small, that reflect these qualities.

Last month I was with Mom for a week and noticed a few of these extra-ordinary acts of love that she does as a matter of course. I felt moved to capture them as #MomStories. I hope that decades from now I will read these stories and it will invoke the essence of Mom and make her spirit alive and close.

Clothespins

I was taking a load of laundry out to our backyard where we have a long clothesline for drying. There was a previous load of clothes on the lines that Mom had hung, a mix of her's and others'. We have a bunch of clothespins there to attach articles so they don't get blown away by the wind and get dirty, which happens from time to time. The load on the line was big, so there weren't enough pins for all the clothes so some hung unpinned.

I noticed that all the unpinned clothes belonged to Mom. She had made sure that in case clothes got dirty, they would be hers. It was a remarkable gesture because it was so invisible; no one would ever notice it; maybe Mom wasn't even conscious of what she did. She puts others before herself in a completely effortless way.

Prayer Stick

I received a very special gift from a few very special people: Pavi, Viral, and Big John Malloy. It is a Hopi prayer stick. It doesn't look like much, a wooden pencil-like stick with a turkey feather attached to an end with string, but the stick is very sacred and created with a great amount of care and skill by chosen people infused with sacred spirit. It was sitting on my desk when Mom came up and saw it. She piked it up immediately and asked about it. I explained the significance behind the stick, how it represents connectivity to God and about the Hopi people whose culture is oriented around water. Mom listened patiently while holding the stick in her hand. She immediately related and understood that this rather strange and foreign looking object was something to be honored. She turned it over in her hand delicately and reverently and offered her interpretation of the feather and stick, as a symbol of reaching out to God.

Mom is very sensitive to spirit and sacred matters. She infuses that spirit into her everyday life and connects with people through a lens of curiosity, humility, and brotherhood. In a few moments, the Hopi people, whom she previously knew nothing about, were transformed into kin.

Mabel 

Mom is the only person I know who actively engages strangers in conversation on a regular basis. As in she will be on a walk in our neighborhood, see someone she has never met, approach them, introduce herself, and makes friends. Lot of times the other person also desires to connect but is held back by timidity or feeling it's imposing or bothering. Especially in America where individualism is king. But Mom fearlessly breaks the ice and introduces herself to young and old alike, and has made many lasting friendships through these cold calls.

I was at the park near our house with Mom when she introduced me to a friend she had met on one of her walks, Mabel. Mabel is a widow from Bangalore who now lives with one of her daughters in the neighborhood, and is about Mom's age. Mom cold-friended her and they clicked right away. When I met Mabel, the first thing she said was how wonderful Mom is. I could see gratitude in her eyes for Mom, a good friend she unexpectedly received in a foreign land. Mabel said in a short time, she feels like she has known Mom for years. I told her that is a feeling people commonly have for Mom; she is one of those people gifted in making anyone feel very cared for and connected with almost immediately.

I salute my Mom for the person she is and how she lives, and continue to be inspired by her.

What are your #MomStories?