Patricia May Thomson
August 31, 1939 – May 7, 2026
Mom and Me in White rock, B.C.
I will always miss my mom and hear the sound of her laugh. She had a few different kinds; the laugh that said she didn’t believe a word you said, a laugh that found someone’s audacity ridiculous, then there was the real joyful laugh that was two notes with a lingering smile. My mom was the youngest and prettiest of all the moms. When she took her first grandchild to the mall, everyone thought it was her baby. She loved to sing along to George jones and there was ONE song she played on repeat until one of my siblings secretly hid the record. This Poem is for my mom:
A Poem for My Mother
Her hands held
Soft, newborn heads
Five of them.
Her young heart
Full of Joie de vivre
Was hardly prepared
For her burdened knee.
Shoulders bent to tasks
Meant for one much older
She lived true
To her bewildering sacrifice
Until she was no longer.
A laugh, a cry--what's the difference
within one's life?
While the moon and sun continue to rise
art Henri Matisse
He rushed past the threshold
With barely a glance back
No concern for his son’s lost shoe
Or his daughter’s missing “my little pony”
It’s woman’s work
And he need not bother
He works hard, he explained
But went to great pains
To catch a game
He was important, you know
Above menial chores
But he would soon learn
The cost of his absence
Could not be repaid,
Ever, amen
And the perpetual woman’s work
Came to an end, left undone
When the love dried up
Only a fool assumes she will forgive
Without appreciation for the little things she did
Like a kettle overboiled scalding his heart
The scar will remain long after she departs
Memory of her holding their son,
Or kissing a boo-boo,
Vivid and clear
Woman's work endeared
Many years later
The lonely man advises the younger,
"As you pass the threshold
Remember to glance back
For you never know
Which day will be your last"
So I’m on a bit of a rant today. If you’re a mom, you might feel the same. On Saturday May 8th, I had a nice face-time call with my son and his girlfriend. Of course, we got onto the subject of mother’s day and what my plans were. Then I remembered last year’s mother’s day, and I told them about how I turned on the television in the evening, to see what wonderful shows/movies might be on.
Pride is one of the 7 deadly sins. Ironically, it’s an important part of the parent/child relationship. Have you ever heard your mom or dad tell someone how proud they are of you? Have they ever told you directly how proud they are of your accomplishments or just YOU in general?
Untamed was my first Glennon Doyle read. I’ve heard her name buzzed in Good Reads and various places such as, ahem, Oprah. Now this book is a Reese Witherspoon choice. So…I was anxious to read this one and the description grabbed my attention.
I’m sharing my reading of an excerpt from my latest book, The Wine Diaries: Musings on Divorce Paired With Wine. From Chapter 4, Life Unexpected, I read “What I’ve Learned So Far”. This is one of my favorite essays in the book. I think you will relate to the message that small, compounded moments make up what we call our LIFE. That’s why those moments are so important and even more so than the big, dramatic ones that we anticipate for months or even years.
Today I’m responding to Colleen Chesebro’s Poetry Challenge Prompt: Circle of Life. The following is a form of Haiku, called a Senryu in a 3/5/3 syllable structure.
I had to look up these poetry definitions, too. I am more a free verse girl, when it comes to writing poetry. However, joining this challenge was a good brain bender. This kind of writing has a way of tweaking word patterns. I confess that I used the Syllable Counter because counting syllables quickly had me questioning my English language skills. *insert laugh track*
If you love to write poetry, do pop over to Colleen’s site to find out more about or join, her Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenges.
CIRCLE OF LIFE
Apple falls
Nearer the tree
Than I knew
I am you
And you could be me
Certainly
My journey
Ironic ending
Circles me
I said I wrote a Haiku. I didn’t say it was good. Learning…
Sometimes people ask me weird questions such as “Could a gender role reversal save a marriage?” Hmm, at first I thought what a ridiculous question but the more I considered it the less odd the question seemed to me.
When I was married, I stayed home after the birth of our first child. I had originally intended to return to work after maternity leave but the powers that be had other plans for me. I was let go from my job during my early second trimester of my pregnancy. It was an extremely active type of job and I had to take a few days off because of breakthrough bleeding, early in my first trimester.
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