March brings an array of thoughts and emotions about my mother. I have poignant
moments of reflection, as it's the month she passed away. But I also have
entertaining thoughts that put a smile on my face and a twinkle in my eye.
Mother was a sports fans from the word go; she loved them all. But her favorite
was definitely basketball, and she had played the game herself in high school.
From all reports, she was really quite good. With that in mind, I guess it's no
wonder she loved March Madness!
We always spoke long distance at least once a week, and for the most part Mother
and I did the visiting, except in March. That's when Mother and my husband,
Jerry, monopolized the calls. Dad and I just kind of sat there listening as our
eyes glazed over. I mean, just how much can be said about basketball games?
Mom knew the background on each player regardless of what college he attended,
as well as his hometown, and the name of the high school he had played for.
Rattling off who would play next if so and so won, as well as the background on
the coaches, came as easily as discussing what she was fixing for dinner. I
never quite understood when or where she gathered this vast amount of
information, and it never ceased to amaze me.
Being a native Kansan, and with their usually exceptional teams, mother loved
taunting Jerry about how his Texas teams were, or weren't, playing. They
bantered back and forth until I was sure the phone lines were smoking! Into her
eighties she could have discussed basketball with the likes of Bobby Knight, and
even he would have probably walked away impressed.
Calling Dad on the anniversary of Mother's death is a must, and the call that
first year was a rough one. Thankfully, by the second year he had made
tremendous progress. After visiting a while about various things, I casually
asked him if he'd been watching March Madness. I mean - that had been a major
event in their household! I just knew he had been glued to the tube.
"Oh, no," he chuckled. "The only reason I ever watched it was because Mom
wouldn't let me touch the remote control during the month of March!"
Well, who knew? I assumed he enjoyed the games, although he clearly wasn't the
avid fan Mother was. I had no idea he really didn't give a hoot one way or the
other. All I could do was stammer and stutter, "You sure had me fooled. I
thought you loved the tournament too."
Then he added, "You know, I've caught myself doing the strangest thing this
week. By the time Mom used to get up in the mornings, I had finished reading the
paper. During March Madness I always laid the sports page in her chair so she
could read it while having her coffee. I've found myself folding it up and
reaching over to lay it in her chair several times the past few days."
"Oh, Dad! Did that make you feel sad?" I questioned with a lump in my throat.
"Well, not really, but it did make me feel kind of stupid! I'd done it for so
many years; I guess it had become a habit. I just shook my head each time, and
wondered if I was getting The Alzheimer's already?" He joked. The tone of his
voice assured me I need not worry; he was handling things just fine and dandy.
As a man with deep faith in God, he had adjusted quite well knowing Mother had
only moved on to her heavenly home.
I smiled realizing that Dad was not dwelling on Mom's passing away in March, but
that he was reminiscing about the good times with his sweetheart as well. And
for Mom, March Madness was simply the best of times!
©2005 Kathleene S. Baker Lnstrlady@aol.com
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