When I was first single and responsible for doing everything on my own, I made so many mistakes. There were so many things I had to learn the hard way. This sentiment seemed especially true in January/February of 2014. It was bitter cold, yet I was determined not to listen and leave my water dripping from all the faucets every night. Why should I be told what to do when I was a grown 40+ years old woman? Needless to say, I ate those words in a very expensive way. I caused every pipe we had to freeze and burst. Now, we were sitting in the cold with no running water. My parents offered to let me wash clothes and take baths at their house despite the fact Mom was dealing with a new cancer diagnosis. That was my Mom, though, always more concerned about the well-being of her family than herself.
I decided to go down and bathe and wash clothes one day. I thought I would watch some TV with her while I was there. Nothing made Mom much happier, and it was such a simple thing to do. I think she somehow knew she wouldn’t be with us much longer and wanted to soak up as much time as possible with us.
Mom’s s favorite show to watch was the Walton’s. She could watch it all day, every day, and never grow tired of it. I didn’t have a problem watching with her, but this particular day she asked me what I wanted to watch. My favorite sitcom has always been The Addams Family. So naturally, I picked it. Growing up, I wanted to be Morticia and still often cosplay as her.
Mom used a walker, and as she steadied herself with it, she got a grin that only Mom could get. She said I knew you would say that. She already had it in the DVD player, ready to watch. I can still see her so plain in my mind’s eye.
We started to watch the first season of The Addams Family, and I don’t remember ever having laughed so hard at the series. One particular episode had Gomez knocking himself out with a set of clubs. We must have rewatched that part 10 times and laughed every time like we had never seen it before.
Since then, every time I see The Addams Family, I think of my Mom. She passed away a few months after we had that wonderful day together.
I vividly remember that same day she told me that one day I would have to figure things out on my own because I wouldn’t always have a Mommy. It still sends chills up my spine to think she knew her time was limited and still put her family first. I hope I’m doing her memory justice and bringing honor to the family as she did.
RELATED: Click here to see past edition of Memories of the Past
