With Mother’s Day on the horizon, I’ve been thinking about my mom, Genevieve. She was always ‘Ma’ until the grandkids came along. From then on she was known to one and all as Nanny.

What was it like to be loved by Nanny?

Nanny loved to sing, mostly standards from back in the day. For example, “You Are My Sunshine”, “Don’t Fence Me In” and “Everybody Loves Somebody”. She had a deep, contralto singing voice and she knew how to use it.

Blessed with an easy-going personality, Nanny smiled a lot. Another thing is, she knew how to party and that’s considered an asset in the Tucker clan. My mother was so cute, always posing for pictures giggling like she was having a good laugh or with her arm up in the air waving to an imaginary someone.

One thing about my mother is that she was a little shy around new people. Except for when she was working at the restaurant in town.  Despite her shyness, Nanny loved being a waitress because she got along with everybody and was a good listener. As a matter of fact, she was a natural at giving great customer service.

The story of our dog, Lucky.

Growing up, we had a beagle named Lucky who lived outside in his doghouse. We (us kids) didn’t give him much attention, so my mother and the next door neighbor decided it was time for him to go to a better place. When we asked about him, here’s what she said.

“We wanted to take Lucky for a car ride to the country. On the way, we stopped to give him a short walk. Soon, a farmer came by and asked if it was okay to pet him. He said he loved beagles and would give anything to have a dog like that on his farm. Lucky took to him right away. Although it was hard to do, we let the man take him to live on the farm. He gently put him in the back of his pickup truck and off they went. It felt good to know that he was going to have a great life.“

Never did find out what really happened to old Lucky. In any case, I think it was better that way.

She was so strong!

Maybe it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but sometimes I think about how cool she was when I left home. I was 19 or 20 moving from Long Island to Manhattan. My mother helped me pack the car, kissed me goodbye, and went into the house.  She never let me see her cry. And, I was the last of 4 kids to leave, so I’ll bet she did.

That’s one way I wish I could be like her.  Even now, when my kids come to visit, as they leave I stand in the street and watch their car until I can’t see it anymore. And then I cry.  Ah, shit, I’m crying now!

Mom’s are strong and smart. Check out this Dance Safari post, “6 Things Your Mom Would Tell You About the Power of Positive Thinking“.

Maybe you’ll get a chance to wish your mother a happy day in person. If not, take a few minutes to remember some of the things she taught you and maybe look at some old pictures. And, raise a glass to moms everywhere…thanks for the memories!