Mother’s Day is a day we’ve set aside to honor and remember our Mothers.  A day to tell her how much we love her, how much we really care.  As a tribute I’d like to tell you a little bit about my Mom.

My Mom was 29 years old when I came along in 1957.  Mom and Dad had my two brothers, built a little house in Youngstown, OH and then decided to round out the family with me.  Mom once told me that she wasn’t sure she wanted a daughter because she was afraid her daughter would be too tall.  You see, her three brothers were all well over six feet tall and I guess she was afraid that if she had a daughter she might end up being  tall, gangly and awkward.  I think she was relieved when I turned out to be a girl of just average height.

My mother was a typical 1950’s housewife and stay at home mom; living the life that many modern-day women would like to return to.  She always made sure the house was clean, my brothers and I were scrubbed and well dressed and dinner was ready when my father came home from work.  She made our house a home and did her best to love and raise her kids properly.  We three kids were very blessed to have been born to our Mom and Dad.  They gave us all a happy childhood in a home with two parents who we knew loved us very much.

As I look at old photographs of my mother I am struck by how much we resemble each other.  It is clear that I am my mother’s daughter but we definitely had our own individual ideas.  That became clear once we moved out to the country. Much to her chagrin her little girl who usually wore dresses and played with dolls soon preferred to be out tramping thru the nearby woods and creek with her older brothers. I loved animals and the more I had to play with the better.  Mom was a good sport though; she put up with the occasional dog and some cats and then with the pony which eventually got traded in for a horse. She enjoyed looking at the horse from a distance but was a little nervous up close.  If it was up to me I would have spent all my time on the back of that horse.  As I got older I loved country music, 4 wheel drive trucks and cowboy boots.   When my husband and I got married she really didn’t like my idea of wearing white cowboy boots with my wedding dress.  In spite of her misgivings I wore them anyway and after she saw what a hit they were at the wedding she decided she liked them as well.  I often wonder what Mom would think of my lifestyle today.  Living on a small farm in an old farmhouse furnished with many antiques, tending to the animals and raising our own food.   I don’t think Mom ever understood my love of old houses and antiques.  My mother was a young girl during the depression and after having to make do with what they had I believe that it gave her a lasting desire for things new and modern.

We lost Mom unexpectedly about a week before Mother’s Day 30 years ago. I am now the same age she was when she passed away and I miss her as much today as I did when I first lost her.  I can’t believe she’s been gone for so long now and how much she’s missed out on.  I miss not being able to share my life’s journey with her. Many times while cooking, baking or canning I’ve wished I could just pick up the phone to ask her advice with whatever I was working on.  I can still remember coming home from school as a child and finding her in the basement canning tomatoes on the old Tappan stove.  I wish I had stopped to learn what she was doing instead of just going out to play.  I thought I had plenty of time to learn what she had to teach me.  I thought I would have many more years to spend with her but I was wrong. I’m just thankful for all the great memories and the time we had together.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom. Thank you for being my Mom.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jeanne

Who can find a virtuous wife?  For her worth is far above rubies.  The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.                                                                                   Proverbs 31:10-12