Movies, Mother's Day and Mom

I went to a theater and saw a movie yesterday!  It's been a while!  One unfortunate (in my opinion) result of Covid was the decline in attendance at movie theaters, the increase in streaming services has only added to the decline.  I love seeing movies in theaters!  I wanted to grow up to be Siskel or Ebert. 

(Highlighted for any younger readers who never heard of these guys...boy am I dating myself here!) I am sure part of the reason I have such a love for movies in theaters is tied to my mother.  As I watched The Devil Wears Prada 2 yesterday my mother was right there with me. She would have loved the movie, with the gorgeous clothes worn by beautiful women in scenic settings, storyline ups and downs and finally a satisfying ending!  With this being Mother's Day weekend, mom has been on my mind.  Motherhood in general, so Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Looking like a movie star here!

 Mom loved the movies.  I have so many fond... and some embarrassing memories of going to see movies together.  Anything starring Julie Andrews or Barbara Streisand and she was all in!  It seemed like there was always something out starring one of them.  Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Thoroughly Modern Millie, A Star is Born, and Funny Girl were some of the classics we saw in the theater.  We would go on Sunday afternoons and it was a huge treat for me!  We saw Gone with the Wind together and loved it...even though it was so long.  In hindsight, as a mother myself, I can only imagine how getting out of the house on a Sunday and leaving behind one or two children with Dad would have been a huge break for Mom!  I probably wasn't the only one who thought going to the movies was great.  

Seeing a Comedy with my mother deserves its own paragraph or therapy session!  That woman loved to laugh, and her laugh was enthusiastic to say the least! Seeing a comedy with mom, my siblings and I experienced many moments that made us want to crawl under our seats or become invisible.  None of us will ever forget seeing The Love Bug with mom.  She howled, she screamed, she snorted, she guffawed, she probably laughed until she cried and I'm pretty sure one or more of us moved seats, which resulted in even more laughter.  It may have been the funniest movie she ever saw.  She loved that slapstick comedy.  Any of the Pink Panther movies, The Odd Couple, or almost anything with Tony Curtis or Jack Lemon and you could possibly hear her laughter out in the concession stand!  As a self-conscious pre-teen or young teenager, I would be mortified by her loud and enthusiastic laughter.  I was sure everyone in the theater was looking at us.  At least it was dark!

I was reminded, fondly, of my mom a couple of weeks ago when I saw Phil Rosenthal of Somebody Feed Phil with a friend.  It turns out my friend has the same first name as my mother and apparently the laugh is part of the namesake!  Since I was desensitized to embarrassment by hearty laughter as a child, all I felt was nostalgia when she laughed heartily at some of the things Phil shared.  That night was the spark that started my walk down "memories of mom lane".  

Mother's Day flowers?  

Anyone, and the older we get the more there are of us, who finds themself celebrating their mother spiritually this weekend can relate to having mixed feelings on Mother's Day.  It has been almost 4 years since Mom passed and each Mother's Day, I find myself feeling a bit lost.  No one to send a card or flowers to or call on the phone.  While I celebrate my daughters who are now mothers and all the other mothers out there, I only had one Mom.  It's nice to have those sweet memories that float to the top on occasion and make me smile. And maybe laugh. 

Here are a few pics of Mom through the years that she may or may not have approved of me sharing.

Happy heavenly Mother's Day Mom 💕

Married at a young age!

I remember when she got that dress...it was amazing!
Mom and her two best friends from her home town.

Mom and her sister, brother and mother
in front of Grandma's house in Ohio.

Mom in a relaxing moment at the shore!

Mom, doing Mom things. We were a motley crew!  
My brother...one of the times he broke his collarbone.

She was maybe 14 or 15 here...and already a glamour queen.