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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 when she was
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 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, and hoping we wouldn??™t fall asleep. 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??™m 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 her
death is a must, and the call that first year was a rough
one. 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 get my
hands on 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 already 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, starting to choke up.
???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 kind of chuckled at myself
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 for me, I??™m sure an angel was
playing her own kind of game with her surviving sweetheart,
possibly reminding him not to dwell on her passing away in
March, but that he should reminisce about the good times as
well. And for mom, March Madness was simply the best of
times.
Mother never attended the playoffs in
person, but I know she now has a seat at center court for
each and every game. Then again, maybe these days she just
hovers over center court for the best view in the arena??¦
?©2005 Kathleene S. Baker
Lnstrlady@aol.com |
