Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Thoughts on a spring day



                The hummingbird’s wings beat fast and furious, a spectacle to behold. Dynamic. Seals & Crofts sang about the hummingbird… “Don’t fly a-way …” And I was inspired to title this blog as a dedication to my mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s early in 2001.
                I’ve recently heard some terminology I hadn’t heard of per se, but I was aware of the feelings associated with the terms. Sometimes it’s nice to put a label on something to give a more complete understanding to it.
                Mom was dynamic. Most people were drawn to her ready smile and quick wit. She was a people person, compassionate, loved deep and forever, no matter what a person did to her. I never thought of Mom and codependency in the same sentence.
                False truths.
                “Your mother taught you things that were instilled through family,” D said. “Some of those things are good and true, but some of them were false, even though they were believed to be true.” (That may be paraphrased by my personal interpretation.)
                Again, I had thought of these things, just not from this perspective. I had not yet learned the term … false truths
                I recall a sermon at church. “H” stood in front of the congregation and preached, “Just because your mother tells you something doesn’t mean it’s the truth.”
                I was so upset that he was calling my mother a liar. Or was he saying I lied to my children? Or was he saying all mothers all the way back to Eve were liars? Was his mother a liar? What about fathers?
                False truths
My grandfather told Mom she didn’t need any more piano lessons. Studying to be a concert pianist was a waste of money. But he bought ice cream cones and new shoes for the poor children in town. Later, when she was in high school, the home economics teacher encouraged her to study fashion design with Elizabeth Corsico in Cleveland. Her father told her she was going to marry a man who would take care of her for the rest of her life. She didn’t need to pursue a career in fashion design. She would be provided for.
                Her father died at age 45 leaving a widow and five children – two of whom were still living at home. He had spent every penny he had earned on providing for his family and half of the poor children in town. No one came forward to help provide for his family when he died, though many of them noted what a good man he was. His was the largest funeral this town had known.
                Mom married a man she took care of for 58 years, most of those years challenging. But if I think in terms of reincarnation I wonder if she was a happy soul because she was an old soul about to move from the cycle of Earth life to another place, another plane of existence higher up the intelligence ladder because she was a very intelligent, very talented, gifted individual.
                What a concept!

© 2014 Cathy Thomas Brownfield ~ All Rights Reserved.

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