My mom passed away a little more than 10 years ago. Time flies for sure. I think about her a lot. There aren't many days where something doesn't trigger a memory or a thought about a time from my childhood. I guess that is a blessing of getting older.
During most of my childhood my mom worked for the Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) now known in our state as the Department of Children and Families. She was an 8-5 worker. Often she was leaving the house a little before me in the morning and she got home after I did at the end of the school day. If she had to take me to an afternoon appointment, she might take me back to her office while she worked the final hour or 2 of her day after the appointment. She would generally set me up in an empty cubicle to work on homework, draw/color or keep myself occupied in some way. One of those days she set me up in the break room where I could spend the last hour or so of the day.
While sitting in that room, the vending machines caught my eye. We had junk food around our house, but neither of my parents were soda/pop drinkers. We just didn't have it around. I had seen the commercials for all of the usual brand names, but there was one drink in there that I was not familiar with. Always curious, I asked if I could try a bottle of Squirt. To my surprise, I loved it! Who knew that a "grapefruit soda" would actually be great!
When I moved up to junior high school, the school was located only a little over a block away from my mom's office. On days when I didn't have practice (which was rare), I would generally spend the last hour of the day at her office. It was not a daily occurrence, but I got to enjoy Squirt more and more over the years. It has become increasingly hard to find over the years, and I quit drinking soda about seven years ago myself. But, every now and then I have something.
Yesterday I stopped in the convenience store on my way to pick up pizza for dinner. Thinking about my mom throughout the day, I just had a hankering for a Squirt! They only had two left, but I was glad there was one in the cooler. I thought about my mom as I drank it. I thought about her making space for me in the midst of her busy work days. I thought about her parading me around her office each time I came in so she could "introduce" me for the 100th time to her coworkers individually. Each time telling them that I was her "baby". Even as a 20+ year old college kid that was 6+ inches taller than she was. She was always proud.
It is a random childhood memory I know. There is nothing of significance attached to a single event involving Squirt soda. But, each time I see it I think of my mom. Each time I drink it I think of her office and those days of my childhood. Mother's Day is not the same when your mom is no longer with you. There are lots of people that come through to fill in the gaps, but there will always be a space that my momma held.
Happy Mother's Day to my mom in heaven, and to my many friends that are mothers. Remember it is the little things that your kids will remember 30 years from now.
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