Before I was a Trucker, I Had To Find a Mom: A Tribute to Mothers Everywhere!

This week I putt-puttin’ along down some random highway when my thoughts turned to the upcoming Mother’s Day weekend. It’s hard to forget it with all the commercial advertising going on left and right, similar to how most Holidays are more about parting with our dollars then remembering the true meaning of the event. Mom’s are a rare breed, yet they are everywhere and deserve to be celebrated for the magic they possess within their souls, and it seems completely unfair we only recognize them one day of the year.

MY MOM!

For one reason or another, my thoughts to turned to my own Mom, and some distant memories came back, albeit somewhat fragmented ones. I remembered sometime ago when I was just a speck of energy, floating and bouncing about the Universe. I can’t tell you why, but I felt a need to go down to that planet we call Earth, and have a run at the Human experience. Time is different to the Universe, one entire lifetime can be measured in the blink of an eye, but here on earth we stare at the clock waiting for work to end, or drive like a maniac to get somewhere on the hurry up, only to save a minuscule amount of time. I always wondered why so many people are in such a rush to get nowhere fast, perhaps they have forgotten time meant nothing before they got where they are now. Not me, I like taking my time as I take in the sights- who would not want to appreciate the sights and smells of Spring as we travel down the road? That flowering tree in Spring, kids playing outdoors once again, no matter if we drive the same road everyday, the scene is always changing ,thanks to Mother Nature.

Enough about her though, I was thinking about my own Mom, not the Nature one that has forgotten recently that the calender is now reads May, but has been stuck on her April showers kick for almost a week straight as of this writing.

Back to my beginning: Whole life plans were laid out before me, and each plan began with a Mother. It’s quite a decision to make; not only which Mom, but also the lessons to be learned on this adventure and it took a lot of time and no time at all to pick one out. Remember, I was still just a part of the Universe at the time!

I couldn’t have been Happier with the Mom I picked! Interestingly enough, I almost came many years earlier, but that Mom had a terrible crack addiction and collected an enormous amount of clown paraphernalia. I’m a compassionate person and could have helped her with her crack problem for sure, but to collect all things ‘clown’? What’s that about? On top of that, back in that era all they had were flat nosed trucks they called ‘cab overs’ and they completely lacked air conditioning and power steering. I never said I was looking for an easy life, but it never hurts to make things just a little bit comfortable. I think this was another good decision every time I set foot in my ‘08 Volvo!

There was one concern I did have that almost caused to me to skip this life’s adventure completely: I saw a being they called my ‘sister’ and named her Jen. She was real funny looking and quite an odd character, could I put up with that, even for a blink of an eye? Lucky for me, after awhile she would move far away and I’d only have to see her a mere once or twice a year! Except that time when I was delivering furniture near her home in New York. She came zooming by in her car, spotted me, and slammed on the brakes, darn near causing a ten car pileup. (Note to Jen- should you read this I am only expressing Brotherly Love in the form of humor, no need to go tell Mom I’m being mean again! Should you ever become a Mother, you’d be a Super one!)

The Mom I got though, has been great from the start. There are thousands of reasons to thank her- let me start with being half responsible for my Movie Star good looks! (Quiet, Jen!) She taught me so many lessons like the importance of asking for what you want, for my positive outlook, and everything I know about stuff like emotional intelligence and other great life enhancing tips and tricks. On occasion, I may have had some interesting times that did in fact, go awry. She never once judged me, but took my hand and dished out some Motherly advice on how to avoid such behavior so I didn’t end up facing incarceration in the future! Thanks Mom, between your advice and my ability to learn from my lessons, I am comfortably writing on a Spring evening outside, instead of behind bars!

Speaking of being at home writing, I must give her thanks for that also. Years back I had my first home purchase, which am I quite fond of, all lined up. Thanks to my Wife’s exuberant spending habits, I also had a lot of bills. Okay, I’ll save the money on an possible impending divorce and admit I may have had a small part of those accidental purchases and admit it really wasn’t so much her. Anyway- I used the services of one of those “debt consolidation” services that seemed great but in the end made a mess of my credit. I was about to lose the home last minute due to that, but Mom stepped in, bought it herself and worked out a lease purchase with me so I could still get the house instead of ending up in a cardboard shack.

I have always been there for her, just as she has been for me. I stood with her during some dark times in her own life, and remember the extremely trying times at the infancy of her divorce from my Father. Not to take sides as I love them both, but strictly as a Son taking his Mothers hand and telling her it will be okay. I am very proud she came out a stronger and very successful Woman on the other side. Way to go Mom!

Admittedly, we had our own struggles where we hit potholes in the road and we didn’t talk for weeks at a time. These were times when we were so much alike that we became polar opposites and pushed each other away. Neither one of us came with instruction manuals so we can’t be faulted for our actions, and once that was over I think we’re both confident it is out of our system!

Thank-You, Mom, for making me the man I am today: A successful, well adjusted (shut up, Jen!) and happy Husband, Father and of course, Trucker. I love you more then I can put to words. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

MY KIDS MOM!

Going back to that time when I resided in the Universe, I had more concerns. After my time living under my Mother’s roof was over and I would be set free to be my own Man, I realized I would need to find a Woman to do my laundry and keep me fed. As I said before, my memories were fragmented so I couldn’t exactly see her face but held hope when the time came, I would know her when I saw her. It’s funny how those memories work- I couldn’t see how she looked, but I clearly remember having ‘in the future’ music playing in the background I was listening to a song titled “I want a Lover who won’t drive me crazy”. In my pre-human existence I did the equivalent of giggling, as I thought, “She may not drive me crazy, but I will dedicate a big part of my life, to driving her crazy!”

Way back in High School, I met a girl that I now call Zulu. Her maiden name is Zulli, and me being a pilot, I gave her that nickname from the phonetic alphabet used in pilot-control conversations.

They say windows are the eyes to the soul, and I did a fair amount of window shopping back in the day. I knew instantly when I first looked into her eyes my shopping adventures were finished. I don’t recall ever thinking “I want her to be the Mother of my Children” or even any memories from before about having fifty kids with this Woman, but I sure got lucky that she is the Mother of my kids. So did my kids- we are all lucky to have her! I like to say she is the glue that holds our family together.

She is a much more natural parent then myself and I’m always amazed at how much she has accomplished in that realm, and continues to go and go like the energizer bunny. I’m ready to call 911 at the slightest hint of a cold, yet she plows on through managing five kids while enduring a severe case of the flu. She’s also half responsible for our kids movie star good looks and them being healthy, well adjusted youngsters!

I have also held up my end of the bargain by continually driving her crazy. My latest thing has been not being able to find my car key at o’dark thirty. It’s happened twice (so far) where I have to wake her up because I’m unable to go to work as it’s too far to walk carrying five thousand bags of stuff I’ll probably never need. Both times, in her sleepy condition, she has found it rather quickly by asking me only a few questions. This has allowed me to go to work, so I thank-you, my Dispatchers would probably thank-you, and our customers would thank-you. We’ve all heard that without truck drivers America would stop but has anyone given thought to the women who stand behind the truck drivers?

If that were not enough, I’m continually teasing her about the job she does as a Mother. She asks: “How can I go to the store with three out of control little kids?”I respond (every time) by saying “how do other Moms do it? Why don’t you check out how other Moms do it dot com?” It cracks me up, but I get the distinct feeling she doesn’t find it funny. I could go on and on about what I do to drive her crazy, but there isn’t enough space on the internet to hold that much information. All I can say is, Thank-you, Zulu, for being a wonderful Mother to our kids and for taking great care of all of us. I love you a whole ton and hope when I get home from my next trip you could draw me a warm bath and cook me up some great food! I’ll put my laundry by the washer! See, there I go again. I’m trying to do better, last weekend I actually made the bed when I finally climbed out, so don’t anyone go waving a finger in my face!

We’ve been sharing a roof now for eighteen years, and it wasn’t a full time bed of roses. We hit one pothole in the road that was so rough it looked like most roads in the upper right corner of the States. By the way, if you have never traveled in the Northeast, you can see them on TV every week! Just tune into the History’s Channel new series, Life After People.

We got through it after she realized it was all her fault and of course had nothing to do with yours truly! (Everyone knows I’m Mr. Perfect, Right?) Seriously, our relationship now travels on a smooth, freshly paved road surface. After all this time, I’m thinking I might just keep her around for oh, let’s say the rest of my days. That’s of course if she is willing to put up with me and my shenanigans for what I hope will be a long time. I figure if I can keep her from finding her sanity, I’ll be just fine!

So Thank-You again, Zullu, for being my Wife and a wonderful Mom to our kids. Love You more then yesterday but not as much as tomorrow! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

MY GRANDMOTHERS!

How could we forget Grandmothers? We won’t! They are special because they passed the test with their own kids and earned the right to have Grandchildren, and spoil them horribly! I have two wonderful Grandmothers who I never get to see enough, but think of all the time.

I have my Grandma Enders way down there in Florida which makes it a little hard to see her on a regular basis! It’s a catch-22 , she lives right near Disney, but I’m stuck in the Northeast without access to a fast jet. I still have great memories of going down there and visiting. She made me the best fresh squeezed OJ and she was lucky enough to work at the world famous Gatorland Zoo, which I also enjoyed visiting! I’m looking forward to your next visit to PA!

My other Grandmother lives only in Harrisburg but even in close proximity, we don’t see each other often enough. She threw the best Christmas gatherings us Grandkids could ever hope for. They say you can always go home, but I can’t because strangers now live where I grew up. Going to visit Grandma (and Grandad) always feels like going home because that’s the only house I have visited since I was just a baby trucker.

Thank you both for being World Class Grandmothers and even Great-Grandmothers! I could write a book filled with all the great memories we have made together over the years! I miss you both and you’re never far from my mind and heart as I travel down the road. I love each of you very much, and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

(Note to my kids: I’m in no hurry to be a Grandfather!)

ALL OTHER MOMS!

Mom’s are all over the place, and in my life. There are Stepmothers of which I have one (Happy Mother's Day, Jill!) There’s even the (sometimes dreaded) Mother-in-Law- got one of those too (Not the dreaded type)! I love my Mother-In-Law a whole bunch and I think she loves me back, but that could be because she is deaf and has never heard the nonsense that comes out of my mouth!

There are Mom’s who aren’t my own, but I still call them Mom. Happy Mother's day Mothers who aren’t my own!

Like people, Mom’s are all different, yet so much alike. I see this a lot when I read comments from my friends on Facebook. “My kids room is a mess. So and So doesn’t listen, I give up. I can’t get this kid to poop on the potty.” On and on they go! So much like what my Wife is always whining about. Really, do you ever see me write about the struggles of my JOB? I kid, Facebook Mothers, I don’t want to be driving along one day and find my truck suddenly boxed in by cars. Angry women approaching wielding baseball bats and yelling “Think you’re funny now mister hide behind your keyboard?” Happy Mother's Day to all my friends who are also Facebook Mothers!

Moms are all exclusive members in the club that we Men, for many reasons simply cannot join. They’re a tough breed, and better equipped for the job at hand then us Men could ever be! I’m in awe of everything Mom’s do for us all and they do a lot- teacher, comforter, nurse/doctor, the list goes on for an eternity. All Mothers share a common bond with each other because they can perform miracles like shooting a kid out of their bodies, give a baby nourishment by hooking it up to a boob, and go on being a Mom even when they aren’t feeling well. They’re Superwoman in their own right, but what about us Dads? We pale in comparison! We might be able to rid the closet of Bogeymen, and who can forget we can drink beer and pee in the woods in perfect comfort. Those Mom’s got a lot on us Dads!

So today, I salute all the Mother’s of the World. I hope you enjoy your day and remember your efforts and abilities are recognized and appreciated by one trucker you share the road with (and many other truckers, I’m sure.)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to the Mom’s out there, even the ones who collect Clown paraphernalia, or in my Mothers case, have funny looking daughters. (Sorry Jen, couldn’t resist getting one last shot in!)