No One Cooks Like Mom!

I am fortunate enough to still have both my parents. Last year we had a scare with my dad when he was diagnosed with Melanoma. I remember at that time I started thinking the worst. I started wondering what my life would be like without him here. I couldn't imagine. I am very close with my parents and my brother and the thought of anything happening to either of them takes my breath away. I can't even imagine. In the past couple of years though I've watched as one by one friends have lost parents. I always wonder how they stand it. I know we are geared to be prepared for it on some level, but I still don't understand it and I have no desire to any time soon. I hope my parents are alive for years to come. When I think of all the things I would miss if they were gone I think of my mom's cooking. No one could ever make food the way she does. She's a wonderful cook and try as I might even after she's told me how I can't cook and make it taste like hers. I am sure we all have people like this in our lives. Aunts, Uncles, grandparents, or parents alike. People that touch us in some way, either in something the do, like cooking or in just a way they simply accept us for who we are that we can not possibly ever replace. My dad is about the best I believe at making chili and vegetable soup. I remember growing up though how he complained that no one could hold a candle to his mom when it came to making vegetable soup. My grandmother Lula always made her entire days meals at the beginning of the day. It wasn't unusual in her house to see fried chicken and vegetable soup at the table along with your eggs and bacon. She got it out of the way I suppose for many reasons. She raised chickens and hogs for sale of eggs and the meat. She stabled horses, made homemade quilts and pillows. And I remember very fondly the feed sack dolls she would make. She had a garden and sold vegetables as well. She was a wonderful woman and set in her ways. Never running water in her house. She had electricity but somehow didn't want water running in her house. There was an old well we would throw a bucket down into to draw the water for the use. As much as I have missed her over the years (it's been 25 years on November 27Th since her passing) I can't even imagine it can compare to how much I would miss my mother if she were not here. There are just so many things That go through your mind. My heart goes out to all that have lost their parents because I don't know how you've dealt with it. I just hope I can when I have to. For me I just believe no one will ever cook like my mom. And no one will ever be as forgiving of my shortcomings as my parents.