COMMENTARY: REMEMBERING MAMA ON MOTHER'S DAY

This Mother's Day is the very first one that will come to pass after the death of my dear mother, Lucille, this January. We shared so many things together through her 94 plus years not the least of which were hearty laughter and that new fangled invention called television. It brought to mind this.

The popular PBS series "I Remember Television" features Broadcast historian, Ed Rothhaar, exploring the first ten years of that tube - the glow from which back then was the only light in the living room to be seen by those passing by. Ed nudges us to recall a time when this then new media was: in black and white; people gathered at store fronts or the homes of neighbors to watch ball games or national events; and TV executives conjured up some very special programs. The weekly show "I Remember Mama" was just such an event. On "Mama" nights, televisions anywhere in the U.S. were likely tuned in as families watched at the same time all over the country.

And so it is that U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, reciting his little gem, "The Lanyard" - as seen on television this week - lets me remember Mama in that very special way that brings her back to me so softly with love, laughter, and the humor of what motherhood really is - don't miss it. In this brief and charming recitation, television, Mama, love, and laughter return once again.

Click the Billy Collins link in the column on the right so you too can laugh before the tears begin. Don't forget to return and post your own thoughts about how you remember Mama and what this piece of poetry gives.