One word. That’s all it took to launch me into a week-long tizzy. It began one night during dinner. The girls and I were talking – I don’t remember the topic. But I do recall feeling a bit exasperated. And that’s when I blurted out just one little word.

“Well!”

The tone of my voice surprised me. Where did that raspy drawl come from?  Suddenly, the room became silent. I folded my arms.

“What?”

Emily burst out laughing. “That sounded just like Grandma!”

Me? Like Grandma? No way. My mom and I were very different. But I just couldn’t shake the idea. Could it be? Was it true? Maybe I was turning into my mom! 

The next day I watched for clues. And I discovered something mildly disturbing. Sometimes, without warning, Mom’s words came leaping out of my mouth.

“You might want to take a jacket. After all, better safe than sorry.”
“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”
“The more you practice, the better you’ll get.” 

I tried not to panic. After all, lots of moms say that stuff. A few old clichés didn’t prove a thing. But a couple of days later, I found some undeniable evidence.

Don’t tell anyone, but I keep all my grocery bags – just like Mom used to do. Hey, they come in handy. You never know when you’ll need a plastic bag. Besides, why spend money on trash bags when you don’t have to?

Yep. I save those too. 

But one thing about Mom, she’s always been a good one. Even through my teen years, I could tell her anything. And no matter what I attempted – from singing solos to writing stories – she always encouraged me. She’s my best friend (after Curt, of course) and I truly hope to have the same kind of relationship with my grown daughters someday. 

So now that I think about it, becoming like Mom …  

“Well!” 

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, after all.