My Mother's Day
by Deb Rego
I had many different animals in my life, so my son Shawn asked me (when he was younger) "Mommy what is your favorite animal? I thought for a moment then excitedly said "Otters." He asked why and when I told him why his eyes lit up and said "When I get older and rich I will buy you one." I laughed and said "Ok, thank you."
Many years later we moved to a very little town in the state of New York after living in Massachusetts for many years. When I went to the post office I noticed they had all the plush animals / people with stamps sewn on. So I asked "Any otters?" - "NO". So for two months I would tease the P.O. "Any otters yet?" - "NO". I asked them for the last time, "Are there any otters in any other post offices?" - "NO, we don't have any - they don't make them." Ok -- disappointed, I had left.
My son only lived in NY for about two years when his life ended by suicide. I took it VERY HARD!!!!! I was about to take my own life when my sister called from California; immediately she flew me out to see her. While I was with her we went to Monterey, California - the only place where otters are (Sea Otters). We went to the Aquarium and of course I got a plush otter. We went to the Post Office out there and I asked them if they had an otter, but they looked puzzled and said NO. Oh well -- I had one from the Aquarium.
I returned to NY. I was having a VERY bad day - it was before Mother's Day - and I wouldn't look at a calendar. I quickly changed the TV channel or radio station or threw away anything that said the date of Mother's Day - I just didn't want to know. How could I get through this? I was having pain in my heart again. My husband had to go to the P.O. and asked me to go with him.
As soon as I walked in the door - looking straight at me was an OTTER! I ran over and hugged him. I had to have him, but when I looked at him the stamp on him was the year my son Shawn was born -- 1990. What a great Mother's Day Present. Thank You, SHAWN!
Another gift I begged my son for - for Mother's Day - was a hummingbird. Now Mother's Day was in the beginning of May and hummingbirds don't migrate here until June, unless it's really warm and then maybe they might show up the last week of May. But all I wanted was a hummingbird. I cried aloud daily. Well, a week before Mother's Day I put out the hummingbird feeders, but it was so cold all week, and on Mother's Day it was damp and only 50 degrees, so I went outside wrapped in a warm sweater to have a cigarette and to cry to my son Shawn again, because he wasn't with me on Mother's Day.
But while I am crying tears of sorrow, NOW they are tears of comfort because he IS with me - he DID send me my hummingbird - no wait - 19 different hummingbirds!
Let me remind you it is damp, 50 degrees. and way too early and cold for hummingbirds to migrate here. So I KNOW for a fact that my precious beloved Shawn Preston Rego gave me the Very Best Mother's Day that he could. I LOVE YOU BABE!
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