She Lives on in My Heart
Dr. Pfister and Mom at Sanibel Beach
My wife and I just got back from Florida, more specifically Sanibel Island, which has - over the past 50 some years - become my Happy Place…
Now for some of you who know me quite well, you know I have had several such places in my life, but the one I keep coming back to can be traced to who brought me (and my embryologic self) to my first visit to Sanibel.
Dr. Pfister and Mom go fishing in Sanibel back waters (2018)
That’s right, my Mother was pregnant with me the first time I felt the warm breezes coming off Sanibel’s beaches! In her own words, she said, “I wanted you to be a traveler and an explorer. I wasn’t about to sit back on a couch in Fort Myers just ‘cause that was lady-like!”
Dr. Pfister feeds Mom key lime pie in Key West (2017)
And so, with a mother’s love and desire for her son to explore and live life to the fullest, off we went by outboard motor and dinghy to magic Sanibel.
As I’ve discussed before, my dad died when I was in high school. Mom became the center of our existence (my sister, brother, and myself) from that cold March morning onward...
Mom did everything to be a double-parent… and she did it amazingly well.
I don’t need to tell any of my readers how truly special a mother’s love is. It is the deepest, most committed, warmest expression of affection that one human being can have for another…
My mother sewed ties and wedding gowns when she married my dad. She quit sewing when she had us kids. After dad died, she went back to school and got a real estate license and sold homes and property until she was 88.
Mom taught us proper work ethic and to always do the best job you could and pay attention to the details. She became the first woman president of the Board of Realtors in Medina County, a state representative for Medina County Realtors, and was treasurer (and on the design team) for the new Brunswick United Methodist Church sanctuary in 2002.
Mom kept a roof over our heads, and we always had dinner on the table every night, even if she had to go out later and show a house to prospective buyers.
Life’s a beach! (2016)
Family came first, then business! She made every sporting event, and took me to Ashland when I represented Highland High School for Districts in the yearly Science Fair (yes, I was always into science). I still remember her, a couple rows back, yep, the mom with the biggest smile, still clapping after I sat down.
I wanted to play the guitar and take dancing lessons. None of these lessons existed in Hinckley in the 70s, so for a year she drove me once or twice a week to the “thriving metropolis” of Parma. No, Bon Jovi I wasn’t! John Travolta had some moves on me but I totally enjoyed the Disco era and still enjoy dancing, even today, thanks to Mom. (She did insist I dance with her at every family wedding. Moms do get paybacks!)
Wow, what a blessing, to have a loving Mom…
This is my first Mother’s Day without her; and it was my first trip to Sanibel without her. I’d be lying if I told you there was no pain, but I know she’s looking down. And every day I try to make her proud.
This weekend, get out there and enjoy… while you still can… the most perfect form of undying love — your dear Mom.
And I’d like to take this opportunity to offer a toast to the Moms of the world... from all the kids in the world… thank you for always being there through thick and thin… always supportive and always loving.
Mother’s Day at the Oaks (2021)
Mom, this one’s for you.
With love,
Chuck