Elephants Make the Best Drummers

I had a pleasant memory just now.

Creedence Clearwater Revival came across my radio and it took me back to the day they were playing on the radio when I was little. The song was "Looking Out my Back Door".

It was summer and Mom had the windows and doors open. A nice breeze came through the house. We were canning.

My favorite part of canning was always snapping the green beans. My least favorite, tomatoes. I never liked helping with canning the tomatoes. They stained everything and I would find seeds for days.

When the song came on, Mom stopped what she was doing and stopped my sister and me.

I smiled because I knew what was coming up. Mom smiled real big, reached her hands out to us both and began belting out "Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band. Why don't you take a ride on a flying spoon..."

I remember asking why the elephants were in a band. Without skipping a beat, she said, "Why, they make the best drummers of course".

My sister and I laughed and laughed while dancing with our mom.

She always danced with us. Always. She had this way of making life more alive; less scary. She knew just how to make us feel safe and secure.

She still does. She is my rock, my hero and someone I am proud to call Mom. She knew the perfect amount of rope to give me and when to pull it back so I wouldn’t get lost in this world. She still has hold of the rope.

She is an amazing, strong woman and that smile on her face, the peace in her eyes, it lets me know elephants really do make the best drummers.