Mom’s Kitchen Table

A Memorial to Mom

A deep sadness fell upon my life on September 8, 2014 when my dearly loved mother passed away after a remarkable 94 years. At a memorial service for her I tearfully delivered this remembrance.

 

• The kitchen table was a gathering spot throughout Mom’s upbringing with her own parents and siblings.
• The kitchen table was the hub of life long before computers and social media.
• The kitchen table was where we gathered to share information and bond.
• The kitchen table was special to us when visiting family back in Mom’s former West Virginia town. As kids we sat and listened to Mom and her family sharing adventures and news of the day. We were learning the tradition from Mom.
• The kitchen table was Mom’s domain. To me Mom reigned in regal majesty but with incredible humility of service to those around her.
• The kitchen table was always ready and Mom would say ‘Mangiare, mangiare …. Eat, eat’ in the Italian her own Mom taught her. Within seconds of your arrival at her home Mom always had something ready for you to eat, even if your visit was unannounced. When you were ready to leave she wanted you to take what was left.
• The kitchen table; after meeting Mom at Mass on Sunday morning she would bring us home for a special breakfast. Sometimes hot Italian sausage, eggs and toast were served, sometimes a cheese omelet and hot Italian sausage other times pancakes and hot Italian sausage…   sometimes just hot Italian sausage! It was always great and so was her company.
• The kitchen table and cooking was Mom’s delight. She cooked traditional Italian style meals that made us feel so good. But she liked to cook non-Italian food as well. She gathered all sorts of recipes but treated them as if the ingredients and quantities were only suggestions. It was a pinch of this and pinch of that, and if it needed a little more just add another dash to taste!
• The kitchen table; Raising 6 children would be a challenge for anyone and that was true for Mom too. This one didn’t like this, and that one didn’t like that. She managed to get everyone fed, though some of us had to sit at the table until our plates were clear… sometimes many hours after dinner was long done for everyone else! Her persistence taught us to appreciate variety and to never waste what had been prepared.
• The kitchen table was where Mom passed on her cooking skills to a daughter, daughters-in-law, grand-children and even some of her sons. Though we could never come up to her achievements we all relish the memory of having time in the kitchen with her.
• The kitchen table was the place of weekly visits with Mom that have meant so much for all these years. For me Mom will always be at the table with her wonderful smile and stories to share.
• Today we are commemorating Mom’s 94 years with stories of our many special and unique relationships with her. We are all so sad, but I know that Mom is not gone. Mom’s all around in each and everyone here. Verification of Mom’s presence is in the stories and memories that every one of us has, and holds so dear. She touched and left herself in all of us to be there forever.
• I may miss your physical presence Mom but I will continue to cherish and love you forever.