Accidental Blogger

On this Mother’s Day I hope you remember to call your mother, send her flowers (or a card), cook her breakfast or take her out for lunch or dinner.  Mother’s Day is by far the most warm and fuzzy commercial holiday on the calendar.  Florists, confectioners, perfumeries, Hallmark, restaurants and other retailers love the bonanza this day brings. (More flowers are purchased on Mother’s Day than on Valentine’s Day.) No other holiday evokes as much genuine affection, sentimental ruminations and reverential guilt as this special Sunday in May. After all, who can be against Mom? Not even a cold blooded killer.  Especially not cold blooded killers. It appears that when it comes to their mothers, mobsters, gangsters and other merchants of death are some of the biggest mama’s boys.  On Mother’s Day, lethal occupations and pre-occupations take a backseat to adoring the most important women in their lives.

Notice: Mob closed on Mother’s Day

NEW YORK — Each and every Mother’s Day until he landed behind bars, mobster Jimmy "The Gent" Burke performed a sacrosanct ritual.

Burke, mastermind behind the $5.8 million Lufthansa heist immortalized in Goodfellas, dropped a few C-notes on dozens of red roses from a Rockaway Boulevard florist. He then toured the homes of his jailed Luchese crime family pals, providing their mothers with a bouquet and a kiss.

He never missed a year, or a mom.

Burke’s gesture was no surprise to his fellow hoodlums: Mother’s Day was the most important Sunday on the organized crime calendar, when homicide took a holiday and racketeering gave way to reminiscing — often over a plate of mom’s pasta and gravy.

"These guys, they do have a love for their mothers," said Joe Pistone, the FBI undercover agent who spent six Mother’s Days inside the Bonanno family as jewel thief Donnie Brasco. "They thought nothing of killing. But the respect for their mothers? It was amazing."  …..  "They’re not embarrassed to say how much they love their mother," said Pistone, author of the new mob memoir Unfinished Business.

"I can remember guys talking about cooking: ‘My mom made the best braciole.’ Or ‘my mother taught me how to make this sauce.’ "

No surprise there: The way to a made man’s heart was often through his stomach, as many mob moms knew long before their sons moved from finger paints to fingerprints.

More here on how the mob goes misty over mom.