May 10, 2020. It’s another Mother’s Day. It’s another Mother’s Day without my mother being around to celebrate. This is the sixteenth Mother’s Day that she’s been gone. You’d think after this much time, you’d get used to it. You’d be wrong because you don’t. You most likely never do. You’d think after this much time it would be easier? It somewhat is, but it’s far from being easy.

One of the toughest things for me is Mother’s Day brunch. Families are dressed up, sitting at a large table, in a nice restaurant. Photos of mom, being doted upon by her children and grandchildren. All of them having a lovely meal of eggs, pancakes, waffles, bacon and juice. It makes a lovely, joyful photo…unless you no longer have a mother. In that case, it only adds to your pain.

However, this year, those photos will be tough, if not impossible to find. No one will be going to a restaurant on Mother’s Day 2020. They’re all closed. No one is going anywhere this year. Pandemic!

All this social distancing and staying at home made me think about my mother. I wondered what she would have thought about everything that’s happening in America in 2020.  This was a woman who didn’t learn how to drive until she was in her fifties. If you can’t drive, how can you deal with the internet? Could she handle a Zoom Mother’s Day meal? Technology most likely would not be her friend. But she was a resilient woman. She probably find one of her grandchildren to hook her up. That’s what all us seniors do, right? Plus, she managed pretty well for more than two decades after the death of my father. If she could handle that, a little pandemic would be a breeze. I guess she’d just roll along and get by day to day…same as we all do.

Next is the political climate in the United States. There’s no doubt that she would have some strong opinions.

My parents were liberal Democrats. That can’t be shocking to anyone who has ever read this column. I had to get my beliefs somewhere. I remember watching the 1960 presidential election results with them. Kennedy vs Nixon. When tricky Dickie was awarded a state, I yelled out “FUCK!” I thought I might be banished to my bed, but they just laughed. They were probably thinking the same thing. A decade later, I watched with them as that same tricky Dickie gave his resignation speech to the nation.  There wasn’t any cheering in our den, but I thought I saw smiles on my parent’s faces. Probably smirks due to us electing such a big crook to the highest office and most important job in the world.

When George W. Bush was Potus, I’d get an occasional call from her, complaining about something he was doing. She only lived through the first three years of the W presidency. I can only imagine what her opinions would have been if she had made it through the final five? What would she have said about invading Iraq? Man, her phone bill would have been astronomical!

Now if she felt that way about Nixon and Bush (I don’t have enough space to talk in depth about Reagan), what would she have said about Donald Trump? I’m having chills just thinking about it. Picture everything I’ve written about him over the last four years and double or triple that. My mom never held back her thoughts about anything or anyone. She’d be dissing on him 24/7/365. Hmmmm….like mother, like son?

There’s no doubt that in 2016, mom would have been all-in on Hillary. A woman Democrat from Illinois….that’s the trifecta. She would have volunteered to campaign for her. The picture in my head of her passing out Hillary buttons to her Republican Palm Desert neighbors makes me smile. The results of that November turns that smile upside down.

And it wouldn’t be only Don himself. I can hear her complaints about Melania, Don Jr., Ivanka and Jared. OMG, the worst might be about Jared:

“What kind of Jew would do something like that? He’s bring shame to all of us!”

Oh mom….I know….I know….I know…..we all know! We’re living it every day.

So mom, that’s the state of America in 2020. It’s not good, but most of us are living through it. Hopefully, when we talk about Mother’s Day in 2021, it’ll be a different story…a better story. Mom, I promise you that we’re going to do everything we possibly can do to make it that way. Say hi to Dad. Happy Mother’s Day

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