Thursday, April 29, 2010

Mothers Day

I have been thinking about Mother's Day. My mother loves to read. I have never met anyone who reads like she does. She reads six books at once, cross references, looks up, Googles, consults the gigantic, antique pulpit dictionary that stands in her study, laughs out loud, keeps a Jane Austen novel in her purse, remembers, re-reads, looks more up, finishes a book, starts a book, waits patiently while the animals sleep on the books and then reads some more. It is an extraordinary thing to watch my mother read.

She reads to music. There is always music in our house. My family is musical. Well, my mother and brother and sometimes my sister are musical. I am not. There is always music. As she reads she will stop and hold absolutely still to hear as Butterfly dies in Puccini's opera, the Count apologizes at the end of Figaro, Tosca kills Scarpia or Colline sings goodbye to his coat. She will play the trio of Rosenkavalier back to back twelve times and then re-read the history of Strauss. When I get into the car and discover the CD player volume is turned all the way up I know my mother was the last to drive the car.

My mother taught me to write. All along this funny, twisty, larkspur lane that has brought me to writing she has been in the background. When we were in the mountains in India my mother understood that we had to walk the long walk to the bazaar to get the next Nancy Drew because The Crumbling Wall had coughed up the clue sooner than expected. We were allowed to stay up all night reading. She knew it was important for me to find out if Scarlett ever wins Ashley and it just couldn't wait until tomorrow. A former professional editor, she would carefully sift my writing with ferocious, kind, precision, helping me to pull through the strongest threads. Looking back on it now I marvel at her patience. She wanted my fourth grade twenty-two page report on Sparta to be well written rather than just finished. "Is that what you really mean to say?" "Sort of." "Would you like to say it again?" and off we would go. I hear myself asking that exact question of my students in that exact cadence.

Once we could write our own papers she would try to stay up with us but fall asleep on the end of the bed with the dog. "So you don't feel like you are the only person awake in the world." She edited my novel. She is up to ears in research for the next one. She is endlessly fascinated by good stories and the people who tell them, write them, sing them, paint them, run them, dress them, and live them. It is an amazing way to read.

15 comments:

  1. What a beautiful post and how lucky you are! I got my love of reading from my mom....we would trade books, talk about books.....now she is unable to read, living in a nursing home. I still bring her a couple of books when I visit her, hoping she'll pick one up.

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  2. i am sure she still loves to be surrounded by books. that is lovely that you bring them.

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  3. I always wished that one of my parents would share my love of reading, but sadly they don't. This post would make a lovely Mothers Day presents.

    I actually stopped by to give you an award. You can find it here. I love your blog, keep it up!

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  4. as i am a terrible daughter and have not sent a mother's day card this will have to be my present for my mom!

    thank you for the lovely lovely award!

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  5. Your mother sounds like a wonderful person and a true inspiration. It's so beautiful to feel the appreciation in your words. I surely hope that she is able to read this post, although I have a sense that you have shared your admiration with her before.

    How very lucky you both are to have each other.

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  6. What a great mother. :) My love of reading and writing is genetic as well, but I admit I did have to read by a nightlight a few times.

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  7. peachto, she is wonderful and you are right--i tell her everyday! thank you for stopping by!

    faith e. hough, there is something extra fun when you are a kid about reading by nightlight isn't there?

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  8. I absolutely loved reading this, Priya! You write beautifully and your mother is wonderful :)

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  9. what a wonderful gift your mother has given you! i echo the thoughts of everyone above!! what a beautiful post! my mother too, reads as much as she breathes and i thank her for that.

    my daughter (who is only 2 and four months) got out of bed tonight and i found her trying to read her Little Bear book by the moonlight on the floor. I gently told her it was time to go back to bed... now I feel like waking her up so she can go back to her book. thank you for reminding me how important this is.

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  10. This post made me gulp a bit - your mother sounds so wonderful, and your appreciation of her is lovely to read.

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  11. kals, thank you! that is so sweet of you.

    ariel, you have plenty of time to let her stay up all night! your mom does love books so much--i remember sitting in her red kitchen for hour talking about books--so much fun! give your family my love! xx

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  12. doctordi, thank you! that makes me happy!

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  13. your post is a lovely compliment to your Mum, she sounds great :)

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  14. What a wonderful tribute to your Mom. Mine also encouraged us to read without making a big deal out of it. I can remember going to the "Dixie Store" on Saturday when she got groceries and spending the whole time looking through the turntable that had kids books on it and going back and forth with which one I would get. There really was no decision as it was always the next Nancy Drew in the series.

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  15. lindy lou mac, she is great! thank you!

    lisa r, nancy drew was just addicitive wasn't it? i really got hooked one summer in india and i dread to think how far i made my mom walk (no cars in our town) to get the next one!

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