Guest Comment: Mother’s Day 2008

What could Mother’s Day possibly have meant to me? Off she went from Maine after my birth to an anticipated but uncertain future in New York City.

Until age five I lived in a foster home with five foster brothers and sisters. The next nine years were spent with my kindly grandmother in Portland.

Suddenly, I became a displaced person. One day, a Mainer, the next an unwilling New Yorker.

That brief summer was spent exploring much of Manhattan. Off I was sent to a prep school in New Hampshire ... The Air Force ... college ... A first teaching position ... Marriage ... Two daughters... A divorce ... A remarriage ... Retirement ... The 28th year of a final marriage ...

Time flies by too quickly, but some regrets stubbornly remained ... Remembrances that my mother was never there those early years ... Memories of my anger because I was moved from Maine without discussion... Grudging admiration as I came to appreciate her success and integrity in the travel industry until she retired at age 84... A more open expression of love developed as time and experience opened my eyes and softened my heart...

It’s too late to make amends for the many times I should have called or visited but didn’t.

I continue to remember her as an honest, genuine person who challenged adversity and often prevailed despite daunting odds. Her ashes grace a small garden in a big city island a few blocks from where she lived for more than 50 years, and I remember her with love and gratitude...

Mother’s Day is the one day of all the days in the year when I am reminded of my good fortune to have had her as my mother. Finally, I understand the real meaning of those two words.

Robert Lyons has been a Green Valley resident for five years. He is a retired teacher and has biked more than 80,000 miles through all 50 states. On June 17, 2007, his Father’s Day thoughts ran in the Green Valley News.