April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
PERSPECTIVE
Life's curve balls
Complaining got you nowhere fast. If you didn't like something, you were responsible to do something about it. In addition, we were often informed, "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything."
Never a high achiever, I didn't enjoy the academic part of school, but griping about my teacher was out of the question. I knew that if my teacher had to single me out, I must have been doing something wrong.
As far as any "discussion" regarding church attendance, the quality of our pastor's homily or the choir's performance, there was none. We went. We listened. We sang.
Although there were tons of things to worry about, my mom never seemed to worry. Her response to life's curve balls was to tilt her head and conclude, "Well, all we can do is say our prayers and do our best."
When I was about 10 years old, Mom asked me to help her pay bills. We sat with envelopes, stamps, a checkbook and a bunch of bills. I saw that the amount on the checks didn't come close to the amount on the bills. When I pointed this out, she said, "Let's just send them something so they know we're making an effort."
Shortly after I got married, I went to visit my parents. They had purchased their first dishwasher. After dinner, Mom removed the cord from her electric coffeepot and loaded it into the dishwasher.
Shaking my head, I chuckled, "Mom, you can't wash an electric coffeepot in a dishwasher." She looked me in the eye and said, "If it can't take it, it doesn't belong in this house."
That coffeepot still works like a charm.
Recently, I asked my mom how she did it all: working full-time, raising seven kids and taking care of my dad. She answered, "I guess I always thought things would get better."
This year, my daisies came up and began to droop. My husband, Mike, tied some twine around them to prop them up, but left about a foot of twine hanging from the knot. I saw a robin by the daisies with the twine in her mouth, trying to break it free. She hopped to the left and right, yanking repeatedly.
I was amazed at her determination. When Mike ran outside to cut the twine for her, she flew away - but this morning, we saw a bird's nest, and hanging out of it was the piece of twine.
Her nest is small, so, without any instruction, her little ones will learn to share. She'll probably be a mom who teaches her kids to be positive and responsible for their own happiness - and, when life throws a curve ball, to just say their prayers and do their best.
(Mrs. Bonanno is a parishioner of St. Mary's Church in Albany.)[[In-content Ad]]
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