“When you look into
your mother’s eyes,
you know that is the
purest love you can
find on this earth.” 
Mitch Albom

Mom passed away in August 2022. At the time of her passing, Kathy and I had four grandchildren — Liam, Emily, Penelope, and Scarlett. Each of them had met their great-grandmother, and Mom had the opportunity to hold each of them in her arms. Henry, however, wasn’t born until January 2024. Fortunately, even at this early age, he is beginning to understand that there is one special person in his life who he never met.

I took a photo of Mom more than ten years ago, when she was still living on 38th Avenue in The City. When I saw the image, I knew it was special. I knew it was the photo I wanted to use when she passed away. At the time, Mom was in excellent health and still had more than a decade of living ahead of her. When she died in 2022, I shared the photo with my siblings. We all agreed that it would be appropriate for her memorial services. The photo now hangs on the wall in my home office. 

My son, Steve, and his family live just two doors down from us. Kathy has provided preschool day care for all five of our grandkids. With Penny and Scarlett now in preschool, only Henry spends his days with us. Quite often, when I’m home working in my office, Henry will come in for a visit. He likes to say hello to my miniature ceramic Shih-Tzu, which sits on my desk. Then he wants to say hello to the ceramic panda bear perched on the top shelf of one of my bookcases. After that, he turns his attention to the colorful ceramic sea turtle that resides on a different bookcase shelf. And finally, he turns his head, looks at the photo of Mom, and points to her. I don’t think he quite understands who she is and why her photo is in my office, but he definitely seems to comprehend that she is someone special.

In the photo sequence above, taken several months ago, I sat Henry on top of the printer so that I could take a picture of him with Mom’s photo in the background. Then, without being prompted to do so, he turned and placed his hand on her hand. I am grateful to have caught this moment with my camera. He definitely knows that she holds a special place in my heart. With each passing day, I get a sense that Mom holds a special place in Henry’s heart, as well.

Most people I know think their mother was the best Mom ever. I understand this. This is how it should be. Without minimizing the importance of any other mothers, I can say with absolute confidence that my mother was the best Mom… for me. 

When I think about Mom, words that come to mind include such adjectives as kind, loving, compassionate, caring, forgiving, nurturing, faith-filled, knowledgeable, considerate, thoughtful, assertive, gracious, devoted, generous, perceptive, grateful, and incredibly wise. In my early years, she was just “Mom.” It was only as I gained valuable life experience that I realized what an incredible  treasure she was in my life.

Not a day goes by that I don’t think about Mom… with tremendous gratitude. As author Mitch Albom so accurately points out in the quote above, mothers provide the purest love we can ever experience on this earth. I am grateful for Mom’s love every day, but especially today as we celebrate all mothers on Mother’s Day.   

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