Mothers Day in the Time of Coronavirus

Needless to say, this is a different Mother's Day.

My son came by.  I haven't seen him since mid-March, although we have texted and spoken on the phone.  We chatted, keeping social distance, outside my house, and with both of us wearing masks.  He brought by a few groceries (strawberries, salad, and a few other goodies), and left them on the porch with three basil plants.

And, he gifted me with a hanging basket.

He spoke about possibly getting chickens (he lives in a rural area) and being able to go in with a neighbor for some beef.  And about the garden he is intending to tend for 90 year old neighbors, in return for some produce.   The woman, I know, has been like another grandmother to him. He has no grandparents left.

It made me think about all the mothers out there, whether they are biological mothers, adoptive mothers (like several women I know), teachers, health care workers (like the daughter of a co worker, who works in a neonatal ICU in the Bronx), and more.

This is for you.

My mother, who passed away many years ago, was alive for the 1918 pandemic.  She never spoke of it but I wonder how much of it stayed with her. 

Near where I live now

When I think of my Mom, I think of lilacs, which aren't in bloom yet, but I also think of crab apple blossoms.  There was a crab apple tree right outside the apartment building where I grew up.

May all the mothers in our lives have a Happy Mother's Day, and, next year, may we all be able to touch or have dinner together with our loved ones.