The Most Precious Thing in the World: A Mothers Love  [Back to the Homepage]
By Joe Pavone

January 20, 2007 -- My mother, Mary Pavone, passed away on 1/17/07. Besides being filled with grief at her passing, of course I have many memories of her.

As an Italian-American, I can share memories with you of holidays filled with great cooking and baking. Mom was a terrific cook and her baking was something to be eagerly awaited. Our home was always filled with the aroma of her sauce and baked goods at those times. Homemade ravioli and fried Italian doughnuts stand out in my mind as her specialties.

Our home was always unbelievably clean because of Mom's utter dedication to cleanliness. Her aversion to any kind of dirt or dust made for a home that was always spotless-so much so that one of my friends remarked one time that you could eat off the floors of our home. Mom's dedication to her role as a homemaker extended not only to her home but her sons. I can never forget all the bag lunches she faithfully made that awaited me in the refrigerator each morning before school or work. She would always do laundry for her sons without being asked-even when we were older.

Mom was zealous in the practice of her religion and insisted that her sons follow suit. From her I learned the importance of a relationship to our Creator that later in life I absorbed more fully. She attended church regularly and was often seen praying in her easy chair in the wee hours of the morning. She shared these religious beliefs with me on many occasions.

I will remember my Mother first and foremost as a caring person who took great pride in the achievements of her sons. She shared with others their accomplishments and took pride in them. She was also a survivor. Mom survived a cruel stepfather, a husband who mistreated her, and breast cancer. Her resilience-even after having to spend her last years in a nursing home was truly remarkable. She was a real fighter with a zest for life. She was cared for in her last 6 and ½ years by her sons Ronald and me and never gave up her will to live.

Mom, you are sorely missed and you live on in our hearts. Thank you for everything-we love you.

Mary Grace Pavone September 22, 1913 - January 17, 2007

"The most beautiful word on the lips of mankind is the word "Mother," and the most beautiful call is the call of "My mother." It is a word full of hope and love, a sweet and kind word coming from the depths of the heart. The mother is every thing -- she is our consolation in sorrow, our hope in misery, and our strength in weakness. She is the source of love, mercy, sympathy, and forgiveness. He who loses his mother loses a pure soul who blesses and guards him constantly. ….The word mother is hidden in our hearts, and it comes upon our lips in hours of sorrow and happiness as the perfume comes from the heart of the rose and mingles with clear and cloudy"

-- From "The Broken Wings" by Kahlil Gibran http://www.kahlil.org/broken-8.html

You can email Joe Pavone at: joe@calvinistcontender.org