Today is the day we celebrate our mothers. The day we shower them with affection over and above the other 364 days of the year.
Flowers. Brunch. Cards. These are the traditional gifts for Mother’s Day.
I still remember one of the first gifts I gave my mom for Mother’s Day. I was about seven or eight years old.
Nothing reminds me of her more than this album. I was so excited to give it to her, and I still remember how much she liked it.
Music was a large part of growing up with mom. For a few years, we only had each other. And we had music. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Wet Willie, Elton John, The Who, and riding to school in the Honda Civic with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band playing on the radio:
“Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night…..”
I still remember laying down on the floor with albums strewn about, deciding which one I would listen to that day. If there’s one thing my mama taught me, it’s how to properly handle vinyl. Remove album gingerly from its sleeve, only touching the edges. Blow off any dust gently, and place it on the turntable. Once in place, use only the switch to place the needle on the vinyl. (Don’t try to manually place the needle, as you may scratch it).
Put on the huge, oversized white Koss headphones. Return to my place with my chin in my palms, as I stare down at the liner notes and listen to the lyrical story unfold.
I can still vividly recall listening to these albums over and over and over again. I was transfixed by the words, the music, the songs, the message, and what I thought it all meant. I would be transported to another place when listening to entire albums. Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and The Who’s “Tommy” were among my favorites. Epic musical adventures. Trips to a beautiful place in my mind where wonderful stories unfolded before me. Much like reading a book, listening to these songs always painted a certain landscape.
Nothing will replace these memories. Nothing. These beautiful reminders of a childhood spent with the one person who would continue to inspire me throughout this life.
I love you, mom. You continue to give me more gifts than you receive. You are my strength. You are my hero. You are my inspiration.
