I’m blessed. I have a terrific, loving mom who has taught me invaluable lessons along our life’s journey as mother and daughter. Stand tall but do it gracefully. Be grateful for life’s blessings. Hold family close to your heart. Take time to gather around the table and share the day’s joys or burdens.
The family table is her couch, confessional, stage. A lot of stuff has been shared over the years over a cup of tea. Learning to cook at a very young age to help her single mom raising four kids post WWII, my mom is the classic fearless home cook. Not much of her culinary wisdom is written down, but rather comes from years of trial and in my opinion very little error. Once she started her own family, she carried that tradition forward. No matter that she was a professional working outside the home, she managed to stretch every dollar and corral enough energy to prepare family meals day in day out. At that time, there weren’t many take-out options and home meal delivery wasn’t even on the radar yet.
She also dealt with two young girls with very different likes and dislikes. I was the kid who hated stewed tomatoes, the green beans fresh out of our garden, and most of all despised Brussels sprouts. I was far from perfect at the table. But something stuck. I now adore just about all produce, including the much maligned Brussels sprouts! And I get to spend most days thinking about good-for-you foods and spreading the word about healthy eating through Guiding Stars. I certainly have my mom to thank for not giving up.
Now it’s my turn to make my own table and try to work my mom’s magic on my own young family. We’re busy, but we make family dinner a priority. It might be fast, but at least we get a few minutes to chat, laugh and sometimes agree to disagree. There’s an ongoing battle over veggies, but I’m not done yet. I’ll take my victories one snap pea at a time!
Thanks Mom!