Reflections

When I’m on the Island, neighbors will give me little reflections of my mother. My AN came to check in on how our burn pile was faring (the one that legally had to be managed, which was my job). As we stood enjoying the moment, a stag walked by to the east. I said, “And me with no freezer space.” He smiled at me and said, “Your mama would be proud of you.” In those few words he was acknowledging not only her value (Venison is good. There are too many fucking deer.), but that I held the same ones, and further, that he approved. Our AN isn’t quite old enough to be my parent, and somewhere there’s a bridge that is gapped because he cared for my folks and me.

My neighbor to the east has at least one additional story to tell me about my mom each time I’m on the Island. Over Christmas she shared the time when mom peered through her untrimmed bathroom door while the neighbor was talking a shower!! My neighbor screeched at my mom to “GO Home!! I’ll come see you when I’m done showering!” She assured me she didn’t thing my mom was a peeping Tom, just that it was another, in hindsight, entertaining moment of my mom’s filters becoming thinner and thinner. Mom walked in on my DH and I in the shower once! That taught us to never leave the door unlocked again 😂. Our Island neighbor goes on trips out of state w/out locking her door. That’s Island life! We had a good giggle about it!

As the book sorting continues, I find notes or letters from mom’s friends and colleagues. They are a delight to read. A letter I read yesterday sent me to Google. The person had passed just before mom did. Reading about her life informed me more about my mom’s life, like a reflection of sorts.