Mother's Day

In honour of Mother's Day, I'd like to share a story about my own mother. Two of my older sisters emigrated to Canada from England in the 60s and 70s, so my parents and I would visit often during the summer holidays. My Canadian brother-in-law had the gift of the gab and could make any wild tale sound convincing. My mother adored him, and being somewhat naïve, believed pretty much anything he told her.

So on to the story, my brother-in-law had a blue T-shirt with a marijuana plant on it. My mums favourite colour was blue, and she loved that T-shirt. My brother-in-law was happy to gift it to her, BUT he didn't tell her she was sporting a picture of a then very illegal drug. Instead, he informed her with a perfectly straight face that it was the from the Tomato Growers Association. She believed every word and wore that T-shirt everywhere, both in Canada and England. To be fair, my father and I were also none the wiser. Mum never found out the truth and wore that shirt proudly until the day she died.

My mum was a bit of a rebel, and I'd like to think, even if she had found out what plant it actually was, she would have worn it anyway. Happy Mother's Day Mum, I miss you