This is How She Says "I Love You"

Growing up my mom was not overly affectionate.  She was uncomfortable with lots of hugs and kisses and didn't always say I love you.  She did (and does!) love her family very much, but she doesn't say it with words.  However, over the years, she's softened up.  I think having grandkids have made her loosen up and she is very affectionate with my two little ones. Just last night Boogie ran around the house asking her to be Mrs. Bear and there she was rolling around the floor with my two little ones pretending to be Mrs. Bear and chasing them.  They all had a blast.  It was great to see.  She constantly tells my little ones that she loves them very much. Great to hear.

As I mentioned in a previous post "I Will Be the One" my mom shows her love by doing things for the ones she loves.  We came back from our trip to Maine a day early. After 15 hours of traveling we were all dead tired.  It was midnight and the air outside was sticky and hot.  We walked in and I noticed that my foyer looked freshly swept and cleared.  My kitchen floor looked and felt cleaner than when I left it. The cabinets were newly organized and the counters freshly cleaned. When we dropped off the children in their beds, their rooms were neatly organized and freshly cleaned. The main steps and the hallway leading to all of the bedrooms were newly vacuumed. And finally, the bathrooms were cleaned.  My husband and I looked at each other and said, "Mom has been here." The house definitely had her signature look. Looked and felt CLEAN!  Don't get me wrong, I'm disorganized, not dirty. But before the trip, things were piling up as I tried to get ready for our vacation.  I left the house somewhat haphazard but not in total chaos (as per usual before a trip).

My mom knew that I had been stressed about getting ready for another trip and she knows that I have been very tired lately. (Still gotta get that checked out).  In order to give me a hand she came over while we were gone and helped to clean and organize my house.  That is how she says I love you and I heard it loud and clear.  I am very blessed and I wish that I had inherited even a tenth of her organization, spatial reasoning, and her ability to get things really clean.  

Thanks, Mom. I love you, too!