Happy Mother's Day

My mom's been gone for fifteen years already. I can't tell you the number of times I have wished she was around to talk to. "Mom, what did you do when I was a teen and I did that?", "Mom, how did you make that crumble on top of those fruit-filled buns you used to make?", " Mom, do you ever stop worrying?"
There have been those Ahha! moments when life replays itself through your children and you have a flash back of yourself doing the same thing. Only now you're on the other side of the fence as the parent. "I get it  mom! I understand how you felt - now!", and you share a secret smile as you say the words you hated hearing but you now speak, "Wait 'til you have children of your own."or "When I was your age...."
Two of my children are now adults and the younger two are gaining momentum in reaching that goal too. My eldest, our daughter, has three babies of her own. It surprises me now and then, when I stop and pay attention, that she is actually a mother of three children! That makes me a Grandmother of three children!
How is that possible? (I mean I KNOW how that's possible *-*), just how can I already have lived so much of my life - I should still be newly married, having babies myself. Well, maybe not quite *!*

I had a mother to mother connection with our neighbour's cat. She was a lovely calico kitty that really belonged to the neighbours but seemed to prefer our place so we named her, "Patches" and gave her love and food and the freedom to live where she chose. This cat and I understood each other. She had had a number of batches of kittens in our greenhouse and allowed us to let our children learn about birthing and allowed us to help raise them. She and I just had an understanding, she seemed to know when I needed her and I knew when she needed me.
One morning, I awoke to Patches crying at our second story, bedroom window. She had never climbed the roof before so I was at the window in seconds when I heard her cry. I knew she had had a new batch of babies because I had seen them frolicking on the driveway the evening before. They were playing under and around my mother-in-law's truck. That morning, when I went to the window to open it and talk to Patches, I somehow knew that she was trying to tell me something had happened to her babies. I somehow also knew, that I had to go to my mother-in-law's place and look for the kittens. She only lived down the road. I hurriedly got dressed and drove over to her house. Sure enough there were three healthy little kitties playing around my mother-in-law's truck. I don't know how they did it. How they all got from our place to her place together, and unharmed, but there they were. So I packed them up and brought them back to their mama. We had many fine years together, Patches and I. Sharing motherhood between the species! When she lost another batch of kittens to an unfortunate accident she again appeared at my bedroom window with milk bags full for kittens that weren't there to drink. I had so much empathy for her as a nursing mom myself, I went and got warm compresses to place on her swollen underbelly and stroked her silky head knowing there was nothing to do for her but to let her know she wasn't alone and that I cared. Funny, to think so many miss out on having animal friends.