I found another treasure from my mama this Mother’s Day….My first Mother’s Day without a mother.

KiKi would find important things at the house at Enwood and bring them up to the mountains. She put my treasures in the chest of drawers in my room there. This was her way of making sure we kept the things that were important.

My find this past weekend was a single slide. It is of my sister and her deceased husband (Bill), me, my mama and three friends from Lebanon.

Semaan Saikali, his brother Salah and cousin Fouad came to our house for dinner. They brought a bottle of wine to my tea-totaling parents. In the photo they are showing my mama their photos from home.

Later they played music and slithered around the livingroom writhing like cobras. They were charming entertainment. My sister and I enjoyed remembering our times with them this weekend. I would have never found this slide if Mama had not slipped it into my dresser drawer.

I have letters from the Lebanese in my writing box, but no photos. This is an important artifact to help me remember things. I am grateful to my thoughtful mother for saving this and stashing it in a safe place.

Our parents just keep on helping us. My dad left the box for the lost garage door opener and a spare battery inside it, so I would know what to order and which battery. This is how my parents were. Their legacy lives on every day. More gratitude from me!

These Lebanese are in a book I have been writing. I have gotten bogged down in the details. I like to think this was Mama’s way of reminding me to remember the important moments. That is what a story is for.

Thank you Kiki, for this Mother’s Day gift.

FLOWER