Mother's Day

With the help of the red metal step stool my eyes and nose were level with the cutting board. My mom's sharp knife sliced into the thick red beef and the bloody gamy smell made my mouth water. All business, Mom divided chunks of meat into servings, placing a large portion into a mixing bowl and combining it with raw egg. Our Great Dane, Khan, appeared at his food stand and waited patiently for my mom to fill his dish with steak and eggs. Our family probably ate potato-Spam hotdish that night, but Khan always ate like a king before a big show.

When my mom tells the story of how she came to own her first Great Dane her passion for the breed is obvious. My dad heard about a Dane for sale in Minneapolis, and he and my mom drove to a big house where two little old ladies had the male dog chained to a post in their basement after he grew too large for them to handle. My mother had no intention of adding a big dog to our already ample family (which included my four sisters and me). When Khan came upstairs for my parents to see, it was obvious that he was starved both for nourishment and for love. He must have sensed what a softy my mother is; when the old women tied him to a couch, Khan dragged the couch across the floor in order to get close to my mom. She refused to leave without him. My parents bought him, and as part of the ownership contract agreed to show him.

Through the years my mom owned several wonderful Danes. She learned about the breed and started showing. Khan was her first champion (thanks surely to his luxury dinners), and Lexi was her most recent champion. Lexi was one of those dogs that changed the lives of the people she touched. When we lost her in December, my parents' house was suddenly empty.

Matti arrived two weeks ago. Of course, this puppy is irresistible. Her expression is both vulnerable and mischievous. She crawls into any available lap and immediately falls asleep for hours. Once awake, she tears through hallways and backyards. She trots and prances and pounces on toys. She even sneaks the occasional shoe (but you didn't hear that from me). My parents' house is now filled with sounds of pounding puppy paws and sighs of slumber, and a bark so loud I wonder how big this puppy will become.

In 40-plus years of watching my mom with her dogs I have never seen her react to a puppy in the way she does with Matti. They are bonded. The sorrow of losing Lexi so young doesn't go away, and she will never be replaced. But there is always room in our hearts and homes for new love.

Mother's Day is one of those holidays when the star of the day is usually the one doing most of the giving. That is something many of us don't recognize until we become mothers ourselves. This Mother's Day I am, again, the recipient of gifts from my mom, rather than the other way around. She teaches me through example to love fully, enjoy each day, laugh a lot, pursue my passions, and always serve good steak.

Happy Mother's Day!