Mother’s Day Weekend in NC

May 9, 2026 Shirleyjdietz1 Comment

I read online today that Mother’s Day has the record for lowest crime day of all holidays. It’s because most mothers are out eating brunch and therefor aren’t committing crimes. Makes sense. I was out eating brunch and not committing crime this morning.

The family went to Homestead, a place that Julia had been wanting to visit. The owner had been a chef at some pretty high end restaurants before coming to the country and opening his own little place. It only serves breakfast and lunch two days a week, and it is pretty much always packed. We got there before the crowd.

We had ordinary food, but it was served and presented interestingly. It was exactly what I would have expected from an experienced, fine dining chef. The decor was also worthy of examination. I loved the repurposed church pews and the diagonal siding on the walls. It was a nice start to Mother’s Day weekend.

Earlier in the morning I was not as happy. I awoke during a nightmare about my upcoming wedding. My heart was pounding and my head ached. For some reason I dreamed that the wedding was starting and I couldn’t find any of the things I was supposed to be wearing. The things I could find were either ridiculously unsuitable or stained and unwearable. I was frantic and so frustrated. It didn’t help when I looked out the window and saw no one had put up the tent, or brought the chairs. I was glad to wake up. It made me long for the original, tiny plan of having maybe a dozen people standing under Mom’s balcony for a 20 minute ceremony. But the plan has grown.

The dream was probably because of recent talks about clothing choices for the wedding and the shopping I have done while here in North Carolina. I picked out a suit coat and pants, and shirt for Kevin. He was going to get something new anyway and I thought we might as well look coordinated. I’ve bought clothing for a birthday present before, but this was more and felt kind of special, intimate even. So many crazy feelings are coming up around this event. It’s a different brand of crazy, but significant just the same.

Tomorrow is my last day at Riverbend Farm. We will go to church together and I will give Julia her Mother’s Day card and a little houseplant. I helped Gwennie make a card for her as well. It has been a good two week visit. I love feeling reconnected with the place and the people. It has also been good to be here where it is definitely spring, the garden is growing, the trees are fully leafed out and we don’t have to wear coats. I’m hoping it has quit snowing by the time I’m back in north Wisconsin. Yeah…

For Mother’s Day

May 13, 2017May 12, 2017 Shirleyjdietz5 Comments

20170512_162317-1 Hi Mom,

It’s Mother’s Day weekend and I can’t be with you – seems we’re hardly ever together this time of year. I wish that was not the case. I’ve been thinking ever so hard about what I could do or say to show you how much I love you, care about you, respect you and enjoy you. Nothing I think of quite fits the bill. We should talk sometime about what things make your heart glad so that I won’t be wondering.

I guess we all like to know that we’ve accomplished worthwhile things, helped others, added to the well-being of society… all that sort of thing. Do you wonder what you have done? I ask because I think we all have those alone moments when we are uncertain we’ve mattered in any way (I have them). Even if we think we have done our job, we’re not sure anyone else would second our opinion, ha ha. So I’ve thought of a few things you’ve done for me and will try to express them in a thankful way.

One of the most important things centers around the idea of contentment. There are so many people who are not content and are difficult to be around. They can’t even voice a statement of fact without it sounding like a complaint. You, on the other hand, are able to express even things that trouble you without complaining. I can’t imagine you whining about anything. You’ve shown me it’s possible to be this way and that it is a good choice. I’ve seen that everything doesn’t have to be perfect for me to be content. And because you are content in so many situations, it is a pleasure to be with you. I want to emulate that so that people will want to be with me as well.

From you, I’ve learned that pleasure can be pursued in many small ways – anyone can do it! (Should do it!) The pleasure of coffee in a special cup, a favorite meal (even though it be fast food), a preferred morning ritual, a favorite view of the neighborhood, a pleasurable activity (even though it be thought of as work) – are all the kind of things that should be included to make life happy.

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You’ve shown me that grieving and joy are not mutually exclusive. You’ve accepted loss as a part of life and don’t let it spoil the present or take hope away from the future. That’s huge.

You’ve been a champion of humor, of adventure, of seeing new places and doing things differently. I guess I would call that bravery. Sometimes it is brave to laugh when you could cry. It is brave to go, to join, to do, when you could sit home and do nothing. It is brave to choose “different” when we suddenly find we can no longer do “the same”.

There is much I’ve learned from your gracious way of stepping back from things too. It’s not always about saying “yes”. Sometimes it’s necessary and right to say “no”. I say you do it graciously, because you do not make others feel sorry for you, or make them feel guilty for their own choices. I guess that ties back in with being content and showing it to others.

I am more and more aware that there is no avoiding the process of aging (at least no desirable way) and am so thankful that, in you, I have an example that I want to emulate. You are the leader, you are showing the way, and you are helping me to not be afraid. Thank you.

Other miscellaneous things you’ve taught me:

Never stop drinking coffee.
Never stop digging in the dirt, gardening in some fashion.
It’s just money.
Being clean can make things almost like new, use Oxiclean.
Never pass up a colorful piece of cloth.
Always be reading something.
Let people know you like them.
Never assume you have it all figured out, or that you even should.

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For Gwendolyn with no middle name… on Mother’s Day

May 9, 2015May 9, 2015 Shirleyjdietz2 Comments

Mom, I am so blessed to have you as my parent. Thank you so much for:

my family unit of which you are the hub, the one around which we gather
your style, the objects you surround yourself with and hold dear, even though they sometimes come from garage sales
your availability, our early morning talks
your love of coffee and willingness to share it with everyone
well, hey, your love of food in general, and the way you make it a part of every good gathering of people (cinnamon roll queen…)
your total lack of complaining. I don’t know how you do it.
for not giving up on people or things too easily.
for helping Dad when he needs it.
for continuing to be curious about relationships, about technology, about faith
for making me feel special by sharing things with me that you probably don’t tell anyone else
for taking responsibility for your own feelings and not putting guilt trips on other people
for taking independent action when it’s needed, for being brave and willing to offend the right people at the right time
for loving books and being a reader
for your devotion to solitaire challenges and keeping your mind sharp
for faithfully reading my blog and liking my posts. I write for you most of the time.