If I could sum up my favorite memories with mom, they all involve talking over cups of coffee in grade school, by phone in college and through Skype after I headed off to South America for a year, leaving everything and everyone I knew behind.
OK, let’s revise that. When I headed off to Chile last fall, I didn’t leave mom behind. She sent all the ingredients to make her famous chocolate chip cookies at Christmas. We emailed, we talked and when it was time for me to dust off my prom dress and wear it to the Santiago Marine Ball, she Skyped to check out my hair before I paraded out of the apartment in high heels.
Long before my trip overseas, mom had demonstrated her love for me by showing up at the door of my college apartment with dozens of containers of homemade meals. Eating homemade food was like getting a hug from mom even though she was cooking dinner in a kitchen three hours away.
While I was in school, mom often made the multiple hour drive to see me, and each time we met, we spent the day doing what we do best: talking.
I have come to believe that the best measure of a mom’s love, is that she’s always there.
From her, I learned to make time for loved ones and to appreciate homemade food, which can make us feel “home” even when we are not.
I have come to believe in my mother’s formula for a happy life: traveling is a life-changing experience, eating food crafted with love solves most problems and troubles that cannot be fixed by eating can be figured out with words.
So this Mother’s Day, I want to thank my mom for her support over the years. To the woman who has sobbed with me, laughed with me and made me who I am today: Happy Mother’s Day. I’m so lucky to call you my mom and I love you!
Katie Helland
