As today is Mother’s Day here in the US, I have been thinking about my mom and her relationship with books. Growing up, I hardly ever saw her without a book in her hands. She would often have more than one going. Her favorite genre was romance, but she also liked mystery/thrillers.
My mom and her mom and sisters would share books between them. When one of them finished a book, she would put her initials on the inside front cover and then set it aside to be passed on to the next person. I remember us driving to my grandmother’s house just to drop off a bag of books that my mom had finished (and usually pick up a new bag!)
I definitely learned by example to love books myself. I read several hours a day growing up and even into my adulthood. I still read around 8-10 books a month, and, to this day, I feel strange sitting down to eat without having a book in my hands!
My mom was recently diagnosed with borderline Alzheimer’s and confided in me that she hasn’t been able to read for a while now. She can’t concentrate enough to follow a story. This is one of the saddest symptoms to me so far, although I’m sure there will be more difficult ones to come.
Did your mom have a passion for anything that she passed on to you? What’s a memory you have of her that means a lot to you?
In So Many Words 