Three generations sat in the kitchen on a warm Sunday in May of 2022. It was mother’s day . Plants decorated the counter, a beautiful Peace Lily with a single white flower, a plant, yielding purple flora based in a pink and purple teapot planter that was decorated beautifully with a splattering of violet and rose posies. Inside the pot was an assortment of plants strategically placed to exhibit artistic beauty. The mixture of these plants emitted a strong fragrance that filled the air with an aroma as delicious as the feast that was cooking. Mimosas were served all around. Brunch started with a charcuterie board appetizer followed by an array of french toast baked in a lasagna pan. Mini Bagels on a tray surrounded by a variety of spreads, an array of pastries including, my favorite, cheese danish, and topping it off with the intoxicating smell of freshly brewed coffee. I mentioned three generations but as I sat at the kitchen table I couldn’t help but feel the spirit of my mother, always followed by the smell of roses, overpowering the odor of the food and plants. I was instantly reminded of the many times we congregated Women in the kitchen, men in the living room.
After feeding our faces and catching up on family gossip, we began to exchange gifts. Alex, my youngest, was the first to speak. She stood up from the table and positioned herself between the stove and the dinette. A smile was on her face and the bright sun had turned her hazel eyes a beautiful greenish moss. “How beautiful she looked in the beaming light.” I thought. In her hand she held a large manila envelope that she had decorated with flowers and phrases. We all turned our attention to her expecting the first present to be given.
“I have a gift for you mom but I want Tammy or Amanda to tape my giving it to you.”
“I got it.” Amanda said as she popped up and positioned herself for a perfect shoot.
“My little actress,” I whispered.
I thought it weird to videotape me opening a card but I went along with it, Alex was always recording everything.
Alex handed me the envelope. I slowly rotated it, squinting to read the wonderful things she wrote. I love you mom, You are my inspiration, The best mom a girl can have, and much much more. I opened it slowly, taking care not to ruin the artistry. Acting for the camera I gingerly ran my fingers through the glued portion and extracted the card. I was expecting a gift card to Amazon or one of my favorite craft stores inside a card. Alex always gave me a card with a message inside that she inscribed herself. I took my time reading the cover “To a special mom on mother’s day” I opened the card and before I could read what I thought was her personal message, something which looked like a negative, sort of like the ones we used to get when we took pictures to be developed, fell out. Making its way to the floor. Alex scooped it up and placed it into my hands. Confused, You see I’m slow to catch onto things, plus I can’t see anything without my reading glasses, I gave Alex a quizzical look. I held the negative out towards my daughters and granddaughter, who apparently was still filming the whole thing, and asked,
“What is this?”
Tammy quickly let out a shriek and ran to hug Alex “Oh no! Really! I can’t believe it!”.“What is it?” I repeated even more baffled. I had no idea what was going on, as I stated earlier, I’m always the last to know even when I have the first clue right in my hand.
“Look at it mom.” Alex said, placing emphasis on each word. “Grandma look closer” What? even Amanda knew what it was.
Tammy handed me her reading glasses and with better focus, I looked at the negative once more. Suddenly I realized it wasn’t a negative at all but a sonogram of my future grandchild. I was speechless, all I could do was hug Alex and jump up and down like a crazy person. Tammy and Amanda jumped in and formed a circle around me and Alex. so much for the filming since all of us were busy hugging, crying, and screaming with joy. To my surprise, My grandson who had been sitting unnoticed at the table, phone in hand, texting away as usual, suddenly jumped up and joined the celebratory hug.
“So what am I? An uncle?
“No, just a much older cousin.” his mom told him.
“I’m the aunt and this is my first niece or nephew.
Amanda had a quizzical look on her face, she said nothing for a while.
“Oh, I thought I was the Aunt.”
Tammy jumped up and down once more, she embraced Alex a bit tighter.
“I’m gonna be an aunt! I’m gonna be an aunt!” she said over and over.
Amanda and Michael looked at each other, shrugged and rejoined the mom-to-be, mom, and grandma as they jumped, twirled with delight, and hugged some more, shouting,
“A baby! A new bundle of joy!” repeatedly.
Then the room became quiet as a strong odor of fresh roses permeated throughout the house. “Grandma!” Tammy whispered.
Yes my moms spirit was with us, celebrating and making it four generations.What makes this gift so special? Well a new grandbaby is wonderful but I already had three so what made this one so special? Well, what many people may not know is that Alex was my last baby and I believed in my heart that I would not live to see her children. This December 8, Rowan turned one and it has been one surprise after another as she develops her own unique personality. She is the gift that keeps on giving. Moreover, she is the gift that has kept our little family closer.