Mom A-Musings

My Mom
I moved my Mom in with me in 2009. Because of her memory loss, she can no longer live alone. We have good and bad days, so I write jokes about our adventures to cope with the stress. Hopefully these Mom A-Musings will give you a little stress relief as well. Here’s the best part, all these jokes and stories really happened.

Water on the Wall
On a visit to my hometown of Sweetwater, TN, I took my Mom to a local country-cooking restaurant. I spotted a clear plastic bag filled with water hanging on the wall. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked the waitress for an explanation. She said, “You’re not from around here are you?” My first thought was, “Yes, but we don’t hang bags of water back at the old home place unless there’s a gold fish inside.” My second thought was to not be a smarty pants so I lied and told her, “No.” She said, “It’s to keep the flies off the tables. They think it’s a hornets nest and they don’t come around.” Then I thought, “What self-respecting fly would fall for a cheap trick like that?” So I looked around and sure enough, not a single fly on my table. I looked at my mom and said, “Did you know about that?” She smiled and said, “Yes.” Then she said, “I asked last week.”

Men and Dirt
Mom never had any energy at her own home but when she moved in with me she began to clean my house. She cleaned the sink with a toothpick. I had no idea it needed a deep cleaning. I mentioned the story in Sunday School and someone said, “Men can’t see dirt unless it’s deep enough to support agriculture.”

Stationary Fireworks
Mom and I watched the fireworks on television on the 4th. There were also several fireworks in our community. She would point out which ones she liked best and she kept saying, “I like the stationary ones best.” It took me a few minutes to realize the stationary ones were the streetlights.

Head in the Clouds
My Mom loves to look at the clouds when we ride in the car. It’s one of those simple joys we all overlook. Since her memory is going, she tells me every five minutes how much she likes the clouds and how the shapes remind her of animals. It’s a childlike wonder but every now and then, we need a reminder of God’s beautiful work and plan.

Barry Mitchell