Surprising My Mother: A Beautiful Memory Wrapped in Bittersweet Tears
Surprising my mother wasn’t just about giving her a gift—it was about giving her joy, hope, and something to hold onto. This is a story of love, timing, and memory. And how one dinner turned into a lifetime memory.
It was my mother’s 60th birthday. We were seated at our favorite restaurant in Kenora—The Kenwood Steakhouse. A local gem, it served the kind of steaks you remembered for years. The place was buzzing with warmth and clinking glasses. But nothing lit up the night more than what we had planned for her.
Charlie and I had been planning it for weeks. What do you give someone who has given you everything? For us, the answer was simple—a brilliant pair of diamond earrings, something she had always wanted but never bought for herself.
As she unwrapped the box and saw the sparkle, her eyes welled up instantly. She looked at Charlie, then me, and just sobbed. Not just a tear or two—these were joyful, overwhelmed, heartfelt sobs. She couldn’t speak for several minutes.
Surprising my mother that night was more than a moment. It was a milestone. One of those rare instances in life when everything feels exactly right.
But life, as it often does, has a cruel sense of timing. Just days later, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. The very same woman who sobbed in joy would soon face a battle no one saw coming.
In 10 months, she was gone.
I’ve played that birthday dinner in my head a thousand times since. Every laugh. Every bite of steak. Every sparkle in her eyes. Surprising my mother was the last true happy memory I had with her. And it still brings both comfort and pain.
Grief is a strange companion. It dulls over time, but never disappears. That night reminds me of what love looks like when it’s pure and real. A son giving his mother something she deeply wanted. A moment frozen in time, surrounded by steak, family, and silent prayers.
So yes, surprising my mother that night was bittersweet. It was a tough moment, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
My Three Mothers
A black & white collage I created many years ago of my mother and her two closest friends, Sharon (Sookie) Katz and Celine Hanton. Celine is the only one living at this time. Sadly, Sookie succumbed to cancer in 2018.
