Today is Mother's Day. I would love to go visit my mama today, but it's a long way to the cemetery and I don't currently have (legal) wheels. Still, it's a good day to pay tribute and tell you some of the things about Mama that are in my heart.
Mama graduated from her mortal probation on January 16, 2009. She had been in a coma in ICU for most of the last two days of her life here. It's interesting to note that she chose that particular day to leave us. Had she gone on either of the previous two days, either my brother or sister would have had life-long reminders of her passing on their birthdays for the rest of their lives.
That was mama - considerate to the end.
Whenever I think of mama, I think of all things good and beautiful. She was a kind woman - one who lived the gospel of Jesus Christ to the end. It was sad in the last several years of her life knowing how dearly she loved to congregate with the Saints on Sundays, but not being able to attend her worship meetings. Still, she never lost faith.
When I was very small, I would play in the backyard of our home in Hunter, and occasionally call out - "Watch this, mommy!" as I did something particularly acrobatic or daring. And she always did. Whether she was doing dishes in the kitchen or weeding the garden, she always took time to look and watch whatever I was doing to impress her. That kind of attention means the world to any child, and especially to this little boy.
As I grew older, there came a time in my life (as I suppose it does in many of our lives), when I was embarrassed to be seen with her. I regret I felt that way, but knowing that nearly all teenagers put their parents through that stage of awkwardness helps soothe my conscience a little. Yes, there were times when I asked her to drop me off down the street from a friend's house or a block away from the school. But looking back, I can honestly say that I was proud to have Marian Lund Hofheins as my mama, and I was proud to be her boy.
It wasn't until the very end that I accepted her calling me the baby of the family. Though deep down inside, I was and always had been a mama's boy, I would never freely admit it.
Funny how the passage of time and the death of mama has brought me back to the point of wanting to do something silly or profound and say, "Watch this, mommy!"
I am now proud to carry the titles she lovingly gave me:
Mama's boy
Baby of the family
Jamie
I trust that she is up there, in the Paradise part of the Spirit World and is indeed watching over me. I know she is helping me in ways that she could not possibly help had she still been here in that frail body so full of pain and anguish and confusion. I believe with all my heart that she has been and continues to be rewarded for the fine example of Christian charity she actively showed throughout her life.
And, perhaps most importantly of all, I know that whatever I am doing, all I have to do is think, "Watch this, mama!"
And she will stop whatever she's doing, look out her window in Paradise, and smile.
I love you, Mama. Happy Mother's Day.
Brother H.
