Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Remembering Mom

Today is my mother's birthday.  If she was living, she would be 97.  She's been gone over 20 years now.  I still miss her.  She was my "go to" person if I had questions about my heritage.  She had "the book," which held all the family information from many past generations, and she vigilantly kept it current.
Mom was a gentle soul.  She was very much in the know, and was a retired teacher.  She taught grades 1 through 6 during her 27 years of teaching.  She loved what she did.  Which is commendable seeing as how the pay for teachers was not then what it is today.  She touched lives.  She was loved by her students.  She knew what teaching was all about.
Mom was a disciplinarian.  If my older brother or I needed correcting, there was never any of the "wait till your father gets home," stuff with her.  She took care of it, then forgot about it.  A few times we had to even cut our own switches, and she used them.  Many times with tears in her eyes.
Mom loved her family.  She loved my brother and I with every bit of her soul.  She loved my dad the same way. She loved her daughters-in-law like they were her own children and thought her grandchildren were certainly "grand."  She was loyal and kind.  She was quiet.  She loved her church and the people in it.  She was every inch a "lady."  And, I might add, she was beautiful.  Oh, not in a glamorous way, but possessed a beauty that shined from the inside out.
I miss her smile and her gentle nature, but most of all I miss her laughter!
Hats off to you Mom.  Happy Birthday!

Peace,
JE

3 comments:

Curley said...

What a nice tribute.

Marcia said...

Nice tribute to Mom. Mine is 95, and still holds the family together. She writes real letters, and her cards arrive right on time.
At the end of every letter, she says, "Always remember that I love you very much". As a child, I'm sure I tested her patience; sleeping late, elbows on the table, bedroom a mess, but she found a nice way to correct me.
Years ago, I gave away a book about a hurricane that had been in the family for years. I was tired of it. Wouldn't you know, somehow it came back to her, five states away, and she recognized it by a mark on the cover and sent it back to me. Oops! Sorry, Mom.

Anvilcloud said...

Sounds like you were blessed.

My mother was also the family archivist, but not to the same degree as yours. Without her and her albums, I would know nothing about my ancestors.