PLEASE! Don’t tell Mama I said so!

There are many virtuous adjectives I can use to describe Mary Frances. One in particular is conscientious. When I was growing up, she always put everyone else first, rarely taking time for herself. She ate moderate portions (always finishing leftovers when the rest of us dug into fresh fare) and naturally stayed physically active by gardening, hanging laundry, and cleaning. The dial on her scales stopped and stayed at a pleasing 145 lbs. for decades.

And in the days of transfat, her beloved physician, Dr. Jonathan Jack decreed, “No more Oreos”. She listened and obeyed. And though she still indulged in a piece of chocolate when it happened to come her way, Oreos remained verboten!

Flash forward to a few years ago when all possible transfat has been banished from the land. I encouraged Mama to ask Dr. Jack about Oreos, and to her delight, they were “back on the table”, in moderation, of course. So after much sad deprivation, they became one of her basic food groups, three a day.

Then Mary Frances started staying more and more with my family in Durham. Food is never at a shortage here and Oreos became a regular at MY house. And then, well, she likes these coconut pecan cookies they have at the store, and oh, aren’t these chocolate chip cookie great?!

When my sister  first pointed out that Mary Frances had gained weight at my house, I was indignant! Though Mama ate well at my sister’s home, she wasn’t eating well when on her own, so I was only providing Mama with balanced meals! Of course she wasn’t gaining weight!

At the next appointment with Dr. Jack – I saw the truth at weigh in, and  it was hard to, er, swallow! And only then, did I realize that when I took Mom to the store with me, she always insisted on a detour to the candy and cookie aisle. And only when I tidied up her bedroom while she visited my sister, did I see what a chocolate hoarder she had become!

 Mary Frances loves the chocolate and is not ashamed to let you know. So she is showered with it by her friends and family and is simply delighted by it. She clearly rations it, and I have caught her indulging in a piece or two with a brilliant smile on her face.  She doesn't share though, not even the from the large  gold ballotin of Godivas my husband gave her for Christmas! (Earle has inquired several times, “What DID your Mama do with those chocolates?” They are safely squirreled away for her personal chocolate pleasure, of course! We haven’t been offered a single piece!!)

Around Christmas time, I mentioned to my oldest son that we are trying to keep a little less sweets in the house because Grandma had put on a few pounds. And with a twinkle in his eye, he looked at me and said “I know. She has a Cookie Belly.” And that she does. Her once slightly rounded belly has blossomed into a happy cookie belly – one we love and one we try to care for with moderation. (She is, after all, 87).  And when we see her dive into a chocolate desert at a local restaurant, or simply crunch into today’s quota of Oreos with a sigh, we are fed through the sheer vision of her joy.

Oh, but PLEASE, don’t tell Mama I said so!!!!