My Mother's Vegetable Soup!

I have tried, for many years to make a vegetable soup that tastes as good as my mother's. I have chosen the same vegetables, cut them into chunks like she did, added the right amount of water to the pot, cooked them on medium high for the right amount of time, added a bit of salt and pepper, covered them and turned the burner down to low until they were all done.

Wouldn't you think my pot of vegetables would turn out the same as the pot my mother made? Shouldn't it look the same and taste the same? It should, shouldn't it? But, no matter how often I have attempted it, it has never tasted quite the same - not even close.

"What is missing?" I asked her.

My mother would laugh. "The difference is, it is Your pot and not Mine."

"What do you mean?" I'd ask her.

"We all have a "touch" that no one else has. It really doesn't matter what it is we are working on - a painting, a song, a poem, even picking up a baby. We can all do it in a similar way, but never the exact same way. If we did, we'd all be robots. But we aren't robots. We are each special individuals that God has put on this earth, so we could each do the thing that God put us here to do. No two people have the same life work. God gives each of us a purpose. Maybe mine is to make good vegetable soup."

I am sure that was one of her purposes. No matter when I saw my mom, I would always ask her to make me a pot of her soup. I know it gave her some joy to be asked, but it always gave me more joy to eat it. That is one of my good memories now. My mom is gone and I know once I see her in Heaven that will be one of the first things I will ask her - "Mom, can you make me some of your vegetable soup?"