Some years back I made the Mother’s Day video below. I’m posting it now so you can share it with friends if you wish. To show it at a church or other public gathering, click here.
My mom was twenty when I was born—twenty times as old as me. But when I turned ten, I suddenly realized, she was only three times as old as me. And when I turned twenty she would only be two times as old as me. “Soon,” I thought, “she’ll be younger than me!” (Math was not my strong suit.) By the time I got to college I’d finally figured out that Mom would always be exactly twenty years older than me. Which meant she would always have twenty years more life experience than me.
It was like hiking with a tall friend: You come to a fork in the road, behind which is a hill. You can’t see what the two paths do beyond that hill, so how can you choose which one to take? You ask a tall friend who can see beyond the hill. Despite the fact that she was only 5’2″, Mom was my “tall friend.”
Still, she was experiencing new things too. When I was six, she was learning how to be the mother of a six-year-old. When I was sixteen, she was learning how to survive being the mother of a sixteen-year-old. Not to mention all the other stuff life throws at women.
That was when my perspective changed. Mother’s Day wasn’t just a celebration of who my mom was, it was a celebration of who she was becoming. The only thing that remained the same from start to finish was her love. And when she passed away, I remembered that, no matter what changes she was going through, she always loved me.
That inspired the short play I Always Knew You Loved Me and the short film version below about a trio of young adults and their seemingly unrelated stories. (To read or perform the play, click here.)
I love you, Mom. Every version of you. And I’m glad I never caught up with you. I mean, who wants to be older than their mom, right?
Happy Mother’s Day!
To share this video publicly, click here.
Mitch Teemley 
What a sweet tribute to your mother!
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Thnx, Mitch. Nine years after my mother’s death, I still struggle with balancing my admiration for her overcoming the the stigma of growing up in a violent, alcoholic family, and resentment at the effects of alcoholism—the manipulation, the managing, the martyrdom—she inflicted on her children. But the one thing I always knew was that she loved me. Which, as time passes, becomes more and more important.
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I appreciate your balancing reflection here, Richard. Few have ideal parents (I didn’t), and many, like you, have wounds to heal well into adulthood.
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I wish you peace of mind.
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This is a beautifully touching tribute to your dear mother, and all mothers. The play was short but inspiring. Thanks, Mitch.
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Such a great tribute to your mom, and all our mothers💗💗💗
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Thank you, Luisa.
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You’re more than welcome 🌹
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This is super sweet, Mitch!
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I agree with the others–very sweet and moving.
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Beautiful, Mitch ❤
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Thank you, Rosaliene.
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A lovely tribute to mothers!!!
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Thanks, Colin!
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You are very welcome!! 🙂
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Technically 20 times zero is not twenty but yeah, I get it and you are interesting and a wit as well!
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;>) But not a math wiz. Thanks, Geoff!
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I enjoyed the video. I always knew how much my mother loved me.
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I love the tribute to your mother. Sweet and moving. ☺
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Twenty years seems more like siblings than a parent. I have a 40 year and a 43 year gap between me an my kids. I spent my 20s and 30s drunk. Being an older parent with a kid still in high school has kept me seeming exceptionally young. A couple of days ago, someone mistook me for 45. My own mother died when I was 21 so I never really had an adult relationship with her. That bums me out to this day. Good post as usual. Made me think.
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Thanks, Jeff, and thank you for sharing a bit of your own story here.
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Thanks for sharing this tribute. I knew my mom loved me and my siblings. And all six of my children know I love them. All this love in the midst of dysfunction. A gift from God.
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What a beautiful tribute to your mom!!!
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Thank you, Jill.
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True Sweet Message to Mom, We love. Certain things cannot be expressed but felt.💥
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This was so sweet Mitch.
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A very nice tribute, Mitch. I imagine your mom is smiling and proud of you.
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Mitch,
Thank you. Yes, we need to show them love and care. We only get one. Thanks, Gary
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Soo precious! Thanks for sharing, Mitch! What a wonderful mom. 🙂 ❤
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My privilege, and thank you, Carolyn.
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Beautiful tribute to your mom.
The whole bit about catching up to her in age reminded me of my Dad. Every year, on his birthday, he would say he was “27 again.” So, on my 28th birthday, I pointed out to him that I was now older than he was.
Unfortunately, he passed away only six months later, but at least I had one chance to use that joke.
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A fitting way to say “I love you, Dad,” Michael.
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My mother is also 20 years older than me. 😀 Which truly makes it so much easier to remember how old she is and… ME TOO at times. 😂
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;>)
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What a sweet sentiment and a great story. I especially appreciate the metaphor of the “tall friend.” That’s a PERFECT description of what a mom is!
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Thanks, Russell!
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