When I was a very young boy, before I developed my sense of independence, I remember mornings with MOM and getting ready for school or having a special weekend breakfast.
My mom was not always a morning person, and I remember how hard it seemed for her to start her days after Dad left, and she was a single parent for the first time to me and my three sisters.
With four kids in tow, my mom was outnumbered. I think she barely got a moment’s peace with all of us chasing her down in the house; in some cases, we followed her while talking with her right up to her closing the bathroom door on us to escape for a moment to herself.
Mornings with MOM looked different when I was in high school, it was usually a hi and bye on my way out.
When I moved out on my own, the mornings changed even more. For much of my adult life, I would call my mom on my drive to my office in the morning.
When I traveled for my job domestically and globally, my mornings with MOM were done via a phone call. I still remember when I arrived in China at night, which would have been her morning. She always lit up on the phone when we had those talks, and I was relieved after a very long travel day to connect with her, so I felt safe and loved despite the 7,500 miles difference between us.
When MOM would come for a visit, I always enjoyed the mornings that started our days. We would start our day with greetings and conversation, whether in the kitchen or the upstairs landing where she had a desk.
One of the things that made those mornings a bit more special was when MOM and I drank tea from either my or our travels. Mom had a sophisticated palette and enjoyed some teas from India, China, and England.
During our travels, MOM and I looked for opportunities to have tea together, so we took our morning tradition into High Tea in London, Victoria, BC, as well as on the high seas on our cruises.
Each time MOM and I shared a tea; we made sure that we talked about life and what it meant to be a good person or show kindness to others. We were often very philosophical in our talks.
There are three takeaways that I learned from having tea with MOM.
- Be present in the experience that will indeed become a memory-its up to me to make it a good one, giving my attention to the people I am with in that MOMent.
2. Listen actively in the conversations to soak up all of the learnings and wisdom coming my way. I don’t want to miss a bit of it.
3. Celebrate the traditions that might not look like a big deal to other people-only I know how to make a simple morning tea with MOM into a tradition.
What I know today is that every experience will become a memory with time. It is up to me to make the MOMents more memorable and meaningful for my loved ones and me.
How are you experiencing MOMents that will become memories?
With much gratitude.
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This post is republished on Medium.
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Photo courtesy of author
