Trialogue: In Honor of Mother

Q: We are enormous fans of our mother. She is a figure that looms large in our collective psyche - the embodiment of all things good and comforting. She prepared our meals, sewed our clothes, gardened our vegetables and flowers, and kept an immaculately clean house. But she was never inaccessible - she was humble and ever-present. Like all good mothers, she was (and is) the heart of our family.

M: And isn't she a hot mama?! She's going to kill us for posting these pictures of her. Growing up, and even sometimes still, Wabisabi Mom would cover her face so it couldn't be photographed. Confusing, because we always knew she was so beautiful. And though it's cliche, she is beautiful on both the outside and the inside. I have never known someone who was so giving. I can't count how many times she made meals for people when they were struggling--physically, emotionally or financially. She labored many long hours in her garden only to give away most of her crop. She instilled gratitude in us kids as we constantly saw her writing notes of thanks and appreciation to those who had showed her kindness. But most of all, she was a good mother to her four children.

When I was young, I remember my mother sometimes losing her temper (understandable and expected with four rambunctious children totaling only seven years apart). But as I grew older, my mother must have matured as well. Somehow she developed infinite patience with us and gracefully handled our various stages, from hyper kid to snotty adolescent to defiant teen. Oh, that I could raise my children with the same forbearance!

D: I'm not sure when the realization hit me that my mom was totally awesome. It must have been very gradual but I think that ever since I left home for college, when I was homesick or physically sick or lonely or sad for whatever reason, it was always my mother I craved. I think that we take for granted our family and especially our mothers until we are on our own. I definitely agree with Q that she was/is the embodiment of all things comforting and good and, as the baby of the family, the yearning for her in tough times was pretty strong. We Wabisabi sisters may somewhat romanticize her role in our family but the adoration is well deserved. If I can have but a smidgen of my mother's work ethic, patience, thoughtfulness, and devotion, I would consider myself a successful wife and mother. She is the quintessence of Wabisabi and I couldn't have asked for a better example to strive for.