Tell me about your mother.

Happy Mother's Day!!

All these posts have me in tears. Such gracious women!

My mom was a wonderful lady! We didn't have much but we had more love then you can even imagine.

My mom never had a harsh word to say about anyone. Everyone she met loved her and respected her. She was so kind to all people no matter what their nationality. She only saw goodness and not the color of anyone. She instilled this in all of us!!

Our home was always alive with people especially on weekends and holidays. If someone didn't have a place to go they were always welcome with us. The 4th of July was always the best!!

My mom loved my dad with the kind of love I always wanted. He adored her. I can remember him singing to her and dancing with her around the house. Even in their old age they never lost that love.

Mom love children. She had a big heart and always helped a child in anyway she could. I have 5 brothers and sisters. She still had plenty of time and love to share with us. We always felt very special!!  Things were always fun!!

Mom would go out of her way to make our birthdays and holidays as special as she could. We always managed to get that one thing we really wanted.

I miss her every single day!!  Mother's Day is always the hardest. Today I will go to her resting place and speak with her. That always helps. It has been twelve years since she passed. I still have a very deep empty place in my heart for her.

I love you my "Little Mama" and miss you . Life is so much emptier without you!!

Connie

Connie, 

It sounds like your mom had a large influence in who you are today.  I hope you have wonderful mother's day. 

My mom also was a special lady. especially to those of us who loved her.    My daddy died  when I was 6   Mom decided that maybe we needed a full time mom since she was all we had so for several years she didn't work out of the house and made do with the ss survivor benefits she got for us.  We didn't have a lot  but we never knew were poor.   Love was more than abundant  enough food and a warm house  decent clothes like the other kids were wearing.  Yea there were things we wanted but didn't get  but I cant remember doing without a whole lot  I do know mom gave up a lot for herself so her kids might have a bit more   Isn't that what parents do?    Mom was a good cook  and she loved to bake!  our house always had homemade bread cookies and such!   mom needed to bake to help keep us fed I guess and she was given a lot of surplus flour and some other stuff from seniors she drove around.   As we grew older mom cooked at our church camps  so we got to go to our youth camps and work also.  Our state has  the 6Th grade camps  for all the schools and mom cooked there also to aid in the money department'    My mom  was far from perfect  but she did love us and did her best.  It must have been enough since we all turned into decent - citizens who give back in some way to our communities.  
I loved mom   I miss her   I always will      Happy Mothers Day in heaven  Mom

We are lucky to have had mother's who sacrifice.  If there is one thing that I learned from my mom is that the kids come first.  It sounds like your mom was equally intent upon making sure your life was as good as it could be in the cir****tances that you were in.  Happy Mother's Day.  

Gosh not sure how to tell this story...my mom worked so us kids could "have" things as she put it. I learned to cook just by watching her do it...never learned anything else...she was never around much to teach me the rest of how to sew clean etc...all I know is I miss my mom and wish I could have gone home to visit her this weekend. I am not in a talkative mood so this is short...but memories of Mothers Day is of my uncle Earl coming about 11 am to pick me and my little brother up and take us to someplace that had a pony or two and we got to ride it for an hour or so. Now that was heaven to me!!! Every mothers day for several years we did this with uncle Earl. Loved it!! As I got older Mom became my best friend and we did everything together. We had a blast!! She got cancer about 6 years ago and I took care of her while she healed. Thank GOD she is cancer free now!! Then last year she had triple heart by pass and is again doing well!! Next month she will be 91 years young although she is slowing down and it scares me to tears...I miss her so much even though she is 5 hours away....its hard to go see her with the cost of gas and all.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

Judy,

I remember when my mom used to make bread and she would never say first you do this or that; she just made the bread while I watched.  One day, about a year before she died, she said, Sis, why don't you go make us a loaf of bread.  I remember how my heart pounded because she didn't recipes to read--hell, she couldn't read.  I said, Mama, I cannot make bread.  Mama said, you have been watching me make bread every day since you were a baby…you can make that bread.  And, I did.  I made that bread and when I kneaded it, I took it to her bed and said, how does it look and she said, push on it and see if it is formed and it was.  That was how she taught me by example, just like your mom.  I'm so happy you still have your mom and I hope you get to see her really soon.

Happy Mother's Day. 

Mom and I have a contentious relationship at times. I think we are too much alike in many ways. She doesn't see it that way, of course. But I've been through therapy and have worked this out, so I can see the relationship in a different light. I can accept her for who she is and love her for who she is, despite our issues.

Mom went to work when I was 5 years old, so we could afford to have a house instead of renting. She didn't have a college degree; she had a 3-year high school diploma, called a "business high school diploma." For many, that was plenty in those days. Women weren't expected to work outside the home anyway. But as soon as I was in school and she couldn't have any more children (never really understood the reason because she didn't ask the doctor why she had to have a hysterectomy, but anyway ...), she started working to help the family's income. We had just bought a house, Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer and the money was needed. So she worked and we became latch-key kids, before there was such a term. We all had keys to the house and were expected to come home after school and do specific chores, such as cleaning, dishes, starting dinner, etc.

Mom got a driver's license when most women didn't drive. Her first day with her new license, I was in the back seat of the car ... I was 4, I think. She pulled out into the street and right into an A&P truck. I started crying and our landlady came out and gave me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (I think this was the beginning of my emotional eating ... LOL). When we moved from Chicago to the suburbs and into our new house a little while later, Mom was the only woman in the neighborhood who drove. She used to take a lot of the ladies shopping. She also was the only one who worked. So the other neighbor ladies would watch out for us kids after school.

So when I say Mom and I are a lot alike, this is why: She is very independent. She is willing to take risks. She takes chances at life. She tries new things. Now, she won't try anything new, but she's old (she turns 88 in June). She often says to me she could never go all the places I do by myself, or drive all over the country like I do. But I think she gave me that adventuresome spirit.

When I was in second grade, I had a vision problem and my mom had to do these eye exercises with me for a long time (I had lazy eye). They were really a pain, but Mom was persistent with me, and I no longer have this problem. She also drilled me relentlessly on my multiplication tables (she actually bribed me with Barbie clothes). Although I was never good at math, I did learn those tables. Neither of my parents finished high school; all of their children have college degrees.

Like I said, Mom and I have our issues, but she still is special to me. I still love her. She did a lot for me to make me who I am.

This is a long post, I know, but the words just started pouring out of me as I wrote. I was always kind of wordy anyway.

Eileen,

I have always had really bad asthma and had polio so I had a double whammy.   Mom used to sit in the kitchen with me, holding me next to the stove where a boiling pot of water provided us with steam to open my lungs up.  And, she made me walk, even when the brace seemed to kill my legs.  Like your mom, she worked with me forever to get my leg strong enough to walk. Sometimes our mom's seem to hard on us or even indifferent, but in the end, I think we all agree that they did the best that they could under the cir****tances.  Like you, I am independent like my mom.  My mom was the only one with a car and she drove our neighbors everywhere.  If my mom were alive today, I'd say she is a women's right advocate.   I imagine that your mom has a special place in her heart for you.  Happy mother's day to your mom.   I hope your day went well. 

Good afternoon OFF family, Happy Mother's Day to all of us. I have read everyone responses and like Connie, your memories move me to tears also.

My mom was a wonderful person, every one loved mom. She died at age 59 of esophageal cancer. I will give you only happy memories because that's how I live my life with happiness. You can't change the past but the past helped form us to the women we are today.

My mom was a cheerleader, was on the homecoming court, she was beautiful and popular.
She maintained all her friendships from 1st grade with all her girlfriends, playing bunco once a month. She had 5 children, divorced my dad who was an alcoholic, remarried shortly after her divorce to a man with 5 children, the youngest one in diapers. She was a true "Brady Bunch Mom", did the best she could with what she had. She loved her stepchildren as her own. Mom loved to sing and dance. She loved to read. Mom would come and tuck us kids in every night and kiss us good night and tell us she loved us.

To this day I think kindly of mom. She is partying up in heaven. I'd like to think she has reconnected with my real father. I believe she always loved my dad.

Mom made all my dresses, matching dresses too with my younger sister, she made all our Barbie doll clothes, she gave us Toni perms, she cut our hair and did a great job too. Mom taught me how to dive a stick shift. Mom taught me how to cook and do laundry. Mom taught me the love of our Lord and she never made me feel stupid when my older brother could memorize verses from the bible faster than me. I was terrible in math and she tried to teach me and still to this day I don't like math. Mom taught me how to swim, and went to see me in Jr. high and high school musicals and concerts. Mom loved animals. I guess I'm a lot like my mother. I feel blessed having her as my mom and I would have chosen her to be my mom.

I remember her taking us sledding down the school hill, going roller skating with us. She died young but I can say she lived a full life, most of it happy. I wish she could see me now, being a step mom and grandma. She always wanted that for me. I think she's in heaven right now looking down on me as I talk about her. Hi Mom! Happy Mother's Day. YOU are not forgotten!
All my love,
Tillie (that was her nickname for me)

Your mom sounds so much like my mom.  I cannot imagine having a mom who didn't do fun things with her kids and my mom, when she was healthy, played kick ball and red rover and all of the fun games that we loved so much.   

To your mom, Happy Mother's day to you and to her memory.