the boho momma

boho boy's mom & older brother, circa 1968

Mother's day shouldn't just be one day. It should be every day.

Look at this raving beauty. The true boho momma. She wore baby carrier's long before they were hip and in style. Perhaps she started the trend.

I stare at this photograph often and that is why I chose it to honor her. I want to crawl inside and stroll down this sidewalk with her. Something tells me we would do a lot of laughing. She is wearing a smirk on her face here that I often have on mine.

Birgit Kroon is her name...formerly known as Birgit Boelcke.

When her son and I first became serious, I had a longing to get to know her. There is something about the mother/son connection that runs so deep and I wanted to reassure her that I would take good care of his heart. Since she lived in Canada, I didn't have the luxury of stopping by for tea or wine, so I started with emails. We exchanged long emails, back and forth during the months leading up to our first encounter. A sweet friendship developed through our words and it was the foundation of our mother/daughter relationship to this day. Since I tend to be shy sometimes in person, I was grateful for those exchanges. It is easier for me at times to express myself with writing and I chose to be completely raw and open with her. Boho Boy wasn't sure how his mother would respond to my brave spillings and was pleased to see her equally sharing herself with me in return. Our friendship blossomed and we learned we had a lot of interests in common. A few things in particular is our passion for interior design and having a unique style with our clothing and accessories! So fun to share and I get all of her interior design mags when she's finished! Thanks, mom. ; )

She's a fascinating woman. Each time I am with her I gather the wisdom she so freely shares and tuck it away in my heart.

She was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany and in her twenties, moved across the globe all by herself to be a nanny. Even though, since then, she has lived away from her home town, she carries her native culture with pride. I hope someday that we can travel to Germany with her, as Boho Boy did every summer growing up, so that I can see her face light up as she shares the world of her childhood.

Every time we go to visit her in Canada, she has a plethora of German friends that stop by to break some bread and see the "California kids" (as she calls us). It is so fun to see her in her element, speaking the language and feeding us German cuisine...and lots of wine. Always lots of wine.

I often get lost in her big, kind, beautiful blue eyes...and her enveloping hugs. It has been a rough year with her husband passing. They had a creative, wild and adventurous marriage living in a home that could have been a museum. There were people always over for intellectual conversation. Monkey bones boiling on the stove. Archaeological digs to plan. Art to create. A kiln in the backyard to fill. You know...the usual.

Her world is more quiet now. Her strength and resilience is something to watch and learn from. What I love most is that she's taking this time to nurture herself and her body...and surrounding herself with the love of friends and family.

We will be out in Canada in July for Leonard's wake. I miss her. It's hard being away from her during this time. I know she's a pillar but I wonder how many times her blue eyes fill with tears and I wish I could be there to hold her and listen...if she felt up to sharing. Otherwise, I would just sit there in silence and share wine, with no expectations.

I also want to know if she still has that yummy coat she's wearing in the photograph above somewhere in her closet. She must know I am coveting this. ; )

Birgit on their dock, mid seventies