Saturday, May 12, 2012

A Mother's Day Tribute

                                My late mother, Barbara, as a young woman

It's absolutely amazing how deep a mother's influence goes. 

Our mothers are usually the first people to hold us in their arms, to nurture us, kiss our tender baby cheeks, and think we are the most beautiful babies in the world.

When I look into photographs of my late mother, Barbara, taken when she was young, I'm amazed.


She was very attractive and I wish I had known her in her younger years.  


 What was she like then? 

What were her thoughts and dreams?

She even wrote poetry as a young woman.

She was never one to be physically demonstrative with her five daughters but boy, we knew she loved us.


 She was with us from dawn until bedtime, cooking, cleaning, ironing our clothes, baking pies, and organizing weekly trips to the library.

She went to every PTA (Parent Teacher Association) meeting for more than a decade, made cupcakes for the sales, and attended school open houses for all five of us.

Mummy never had the opportunity to attend college but every single one of her girls did. We all have degrees in various areas.

Love of music and reading both came from Mummy. She was an avid reader who especially  loved biographies of movie stars and Presidents' wives. 

She was a cool piano player who made those ivories jump with different renditions of old-time songs. She'd sing, too!

She loved her family immensely and cherished all the get-togethers on birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions.

Family was NUMBER ONE with Mummy.

 She also loved to eat. Even though she didn't like it, she was a fairly good cook.  She also loved going out to restaurants.


She was a greeting card sender and would spend hours reading the inside verses to make sure they were just right.

Oh boy, Mummy was Queen of Scrabble. How many games did she play in her lifetime? Well, it was probably in the thousands.


 It's been six years since Mummy died at age 91.  I still miss her. When I hear the songs  that start "Won't you come home Bill Bailey" or "Five foot two, eyes of blue", they come with an image of Mummy sitting at the old baby grand, pounding away and singing at the top of her lungs.

Throughout her life she was very, very faithful to the Blessed Mother (the mother of Jesus.)  She said at least a million rosaries and called upon Mary in times of trouble. Believe me, there were many. 


Her faith was almost child-like but as strong as cement.  One of her most repeated sayings was "prayer can move mountains."


Some of her grandchildren got to know her well. 

The presence of a grandmother in children's lives is a tremendous gift from God.  


Grandmothers, after all, love unconditionally.

Their wisdom and love are tremendous examples for children to emulate.


All children who have a grandmother in their lives are very, very blessed.

Mummy, like Grandmas everywhere, adored her grandchildren. She was always stuffing money into greeting cards and buying them trinkets on every holiday throughout the year.

She complimented her grandchildren and made them feel special. (My own daughter remembers Grandma telling her she was pretty enough to be a movie star!)

Now that their Grandma died, as all Grandmas do, my Mummy's grandchildren remember her with a deep and abiding love and admiration. What a legacy! Do we ever stop missing our parents?  I don't think so. They are so much a part of us that even when they are gone, they are still with us. 


One day, when I make the trip to the other side myself, Mummy will be there, waiting for me. I can see her now.  Her dark eyes will light up again, like when she first laid eyes on me as a newborn.


"Susan," she'll say. "It's about time you got here. I couldn't wait to see you again." 

Then the hugs and tears of happiness will start and we'll never have to be apart again for all eternity."

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHERS, MOTHERS-TO-BE, FOSTER MOTHERS, AND WOMEN WHO LOVE OTHERS LIKE A MOTHER LOVES HER CHILD! 

 MAY YOUR DAY TODAY BE SWEET.




13 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a lovely tribute to your Mother :) She was indeed beautiful...nice memories I bet.
Happy Mother's Day!

Eva

Linda O'Connell said...

Your mother was beautiful, talented and loved as she knew how. Blessings to you today.

AnneMarie said...

I am in tears reading your beautiful tribute to your equally beautiful Mum. How blessed you have been to have had such a great role model. I feel so lucky that I had my Mum. We never stop missing or needing them though, do we? Happy Mothers Day, hope you have a lovely day. xxx

Bookie said...

What a strikingly beautiful woman your mother was. Your post let your readers know she was just as beautiful on the inside. Have a good day today!

Linda said...

You, my dear lady, are your Mum's most beautiful legacy. What a loving tribute today! She is most proud, I am certain of that.
Linda at Beautiful Ideas

Chatty Crone said...

I can see where you get your beauty - she was gorgeous. And five girls - she must have worked from morning to night. What a different life back then.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Love, sandie

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

A most beautiful post about your beautiful mother! I have enjoyed reading every word :)

diane.stetson said...

"On this day O Beautiful Mother,
on this day we give thee our love"
A song from my childhood which is so approprate for this post.

Sally Wessely said...

This was such a wonderful tribute to your beautiful mother. I'm sure you must miss her so much. She had a good long life. That is something to be grateful for.

Barbara Neubeck said...

Hi Susan,
Your tribute to your Mum is beautiful.
It's nice you had her until she was 91.....My Mum lives with me and is 95. Every day is a blessing.
Have a good week
God Bless
Barb from Australia

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

How wonderful that your mom lived to be 91! A beautiful post. I teared up right there at the end. :) Hugs, Tammy

Rebecca said...

I agree with all the others who have commented....You have honored your mother well with these words. (I was personally challenged by your reflections on her influence as a grandmother.... Our grandchildren all live a little distance from me. I sure would like to be the best grandmother possible, affirming them with loving words and memorable actions and activities when I DO see them....

Babs said...

It is so important to focus on what our mothers did RIGHT. I is easy to remember things she did or said that hurt me, zingers that affected my thinking on important matters that affected me deeply. It was easy to hold on to the badthings, and I did have many grudges which was a big block in the flow of our relationship. After becoming an adult,I spent lots oof time trying to find out why I felt the way I did. Therapy and large group sharing truly helped me let go of the negatives, admit them and let them go never to return again. As I chan ged my mom changed and the communication in my life with her was so much better than growing up, and for that I will be forever gratful.

Related Posts with Thumbnails