Chronicles of Schofield

Sara and Belinda, Fourth of July 2005

If I were to spend a day with my MOM on her birthday,

this is what we would do.......

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First I'd pick her up in a Suburban

reminiscent of the one she used

to haul around her eight children in.

On her seat would be waiting....

a bag of chocolate covered cinnamon bears,

a fantastic pair of dangly earrings for her to put on,

a big delicious purse to carry,

with a lipstick in every pretty shade

and a note tucked in the pocket

telling her thank you for all she's done for me.

In the cup holder there would be either

an ice cold Propel or Diet Coke,

and on the radio Earth Wind and Fire would be playing,

oh, and I would chuck her cell phone into the pond

so no one can bug her.

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Our FIRST stop would be manicures and pedicures

for the hands that tirelessly....

sewed adorable matching outfits that her whiney children

wore to Lagoon, Sea World, and family pictures,

for the hands that tirelessly....

spent hours scratching and rubbing backs of doting kids,

for the hands that tirelessly....

did load after load of dirty laundry,

for the hands that painted, decorated, and cleaned

to make our house a home, and a lovely one at that.

For the feet that stood.....

for hours and hours canning peaches, pears, pickles, and applesauce,

for the feet that stood......

in lines at discount stores for the perfect sale,

for the feet that stood.....

bouncing babies endlessly singing "bye-o bye-o".

for the feet that paced and vacuumed

while she thought and worried over each childs stage in life.

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THe SECOND stop would be a book store.

There she would find

shelves and shelves of books

written about Everest climbs, Amazon quests,

ultra marathon runners, political harmony,

spiritual awakening, and medical miracles....

she would be able to just touch a book

and by the power of osmosis it would be read,

and the best part,

every author would be there with undivided attention

to answer her countless questions.

But she would have to read me a Dr. Seuss book

just for kicks.

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The THIRD stop would be a nap,

under a tree,

in a desserted park,

where no one can burst in

with loud demands

to wake the sweet mother

who hasn't had an uninterrupted nap

in 50 years,

'cause mom's need naps.

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By now it's time for lunch at Cafe Rio.

She would order a chicken salad, no chips, house dressing,

I would order the shredded beef salad, with chips, double dressing & guac.

We would chat about the funny things my kids have been doing.

I would ask her how to teach them respect and obedience.

She would laugh because I'm still the same.

I would laugh because she has cilantro between her teeth.

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The FIFTH stop would be a music store,

freshly stocked with wall to wall cd's

of the most fantabulous workout music

your pea-pickin' heart has ever heard.

and guess what....?

Buy one,

get 20 free!

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The SIXTH stop would be a Symposium

given by a descendent of C.S. Lewis

and it's catered by BYU,

and their handing out

mint chocolate brownies for us to snack on,

and

Pachabels Canon is playing in the background.

and the caterers just also happen to be in the choir,

and now they're going to sing "Come Thou Fount"

just to her.

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The SEVENTH stop would be to a water park.

She would go down the steepest slide,

and prove to all of us

that she is still young at heart,

gutsy,

and full of new found adventure.

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The FOLLOWING stops would be to

Target

TJMaxx

Taipan Trading

and some obscure boutique that has

the best sugar cookies your mouth has ever savored.

Also,

because we are the one hundredth shopper,

we get a set of free topiaries.

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After getting some super finds,

eating yummy food that is magically fat & calorie free,

having great conversation,

trying something daring and new,

and laughing till our bellies ache,

we would go home to a sparkling clean house,

snuggle up on the couch with soft blankets,

a bucket of popcorn,

and watch her picks of

Hitchcock, Cary Grant, or A&E's latest installment of Jane Eyre.

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Wow, what a great day that would be.

That is my wish for you sweet mother,

I hope you know how much you mean to me,

and that I am,

because of you.

i love you