On the eve to Mother’s Day, I’m thinking about my mom. Three and a half years ago, I spoke with her for the last time, not knowing that her home going was imminent. At 92, her voice was vibrant, her mind keen, and her love for me deep. The next morning she was gone in 10 short and easy minutes so the nurses told me. When I told them her age, they were shocked. They guessed her to be in her 70s. Mom had beautiful skin, a full head of magnificently thick hair, and a sharp mind.
When I think of mom, I think of her disciplined lifestyle which included eating nutritiously. My mom was an early adopter to natural foods. She read Adele Davis books on nutrition when only kooks read them.
While other moms bought white bread, white sugar, white rice, and white flour, we ate whole wheat bread, brown rice, raw honey, and lots of fruits and vegetables.
While other mom massacred vegetables with water and high heat in aluminum pots, mom lightly steamed hers in stainless steel Saladmaster waterless cookware, some of which I still own! We rarely ate out and baked all of our own treats.
Mom owned no coffee maker or tea pot. Mom drank water, lots of water! While other kids had fizzies, Kool-aid, and soda pop, we had water. Sometimes we had unsweetened hand-pressed apple cider that my dad made with a friend of his. Otherwise, cold, clear water, as my dad always said, was the beverage of choice. Oh yes, and we took vitamins, too!
As I recently began reading on nutrition, I was surprised to discover that the brain and the skin are linked. If you eat for your skin, you are eating for your brain. Now I understand why mom defied observation about her age.
Mom lived for a period of years in a senior community. I remember one time going to visit her. Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party was being broadcast and all the US Senators showed up to celebrate. Mom dryly commented, “A lot of those senators are senile.”
I was aghast! “Mom, how can you say that?” I asked.
She responded, “When you live with senile people you recognize the symptoms.”
I couldn’t argue with that! I knew there were many residents in her community who had Alzheimer’s, dementia and senility. Mom was not one of them. With her keen mind, she knew everyone’s name and where they lived in the building. She could work a crossword puzzle in 10 minutes, she kept track of the Seattle Mariners and could tell you who played and what happened with a detail that astounded me! When I shopped for mom, I had to be meticulous about saving receipts and purchasing the exact product she requested. She kept her own books and paid me back to the penny. She was meticulous and organized.
Due to a couple falls and some difficulties she had with mobility due to an early surgery, mom encountered a few occupational therapists who came to her home to help her organize things so she could maneuver. They should have stayed back at their institution. My mom was sharper than any occupational therapist she ever met. They just stood and looked at her arrangement with their jaws hanging open.
I want to be like my mom when I grow up! Because of her diligence in giving me good nutrition early, I am well on my way! I also must thank her for encouraging me to become a Noevir consultant 25 years ago where I encountered wonderful nutritional supplements and natural to the skin-skincare–what an added bonus!
Recently, a facebook friend who was in my high school graduating class sent me a message. It said, “I can’t figure out why I don’t know you from Walla Walla. I thought you must be much younger than me, but from your profile it looks like maybe you were a couple of years behind me in school But you are are absolutely right, you look like you are are in your 40s.”
Mom ~ thanks for giving me the basics for living in flourishing health!
If you’re a mom or hope to be some day, today is the best day to begin shopping, cooking and eating for beautiful skin and longevity. What a gift you can give your family. Today is a second chance to get rid of the old Standard American Diet (SAD) and begin a new life with fresh, natural ingredients that will keep your mind sharp and your skin stunning! Get on it! Time’s a wasting!
Marlee Huber ~ Advocating for Your Flourishing Life!
excellent thoughts…your mom modelled well for you, Marlee! you are beautiful inside and out!
Happy Mother’s Day May 2011
It’s clear to me that because I didn’t know your mom very well, I underestimated her. It’s nice to hear about her focus on sane nutrition and that she encouraged you in your path as a Noevir consultant.
I wouldn’t have ever guessed she would have said “A lot of those senators are senile.” I had to laugh!! Seems like she was right on the mark.
She was a fine woman and raised another fine woman.
Thank you, Janice and Lee Ann, for your kind words. Suzanne told me she laughed too about her grandmother’s comments on the senile Senators. Mom had a lot of wisdom and insight.
It’s nice to remember her on Mother’s Day with gratitude for the legacy she left me. Where would we all be without moms who bucked the trends and did what they thought best for their kids?
Watching Suzanne start her journey through motherhood has been rewarding. She is following in her grandmother’s steps. She hides sweet potatoes in macaroni and cheese and adds veggies to pancakes. Samuel has no clue his mama is continuing a long and beneficial nutritional thread started long ago!
May we all be blessed as we find the good in the practical love our mothers gave us.
Marlee, what a beautiful tribute to pay to your mother for Mother’s Day. I know she was a wonderful, spirit-filled woman of prayer. Her great legacy continues on in you the rest of the family. Blessings for a BANNER year! Joseph