My sister, Kathy, told my Mom recently that she was a big marshmallow inside. I have to agree with that. I would like to add that Mom was like a toasted marshmallow. You know how sometimes, when you toast a marshmallow, it gets a tiny bit of brown on the outside but is still pretty gooey and other times it gets hard a crusty on the outside but is still warm and soft on the inside; that was my Mom. At times, she tried to appear hard and crusty on the outside but inside she was always warm and gooey and once you met my mom and got to know her, you knew that about her.
When Semmelle was about 14 months old, it was Christmas time and I was struggling financially as a single parent. Mom called me up to check in and asked me if I had put up a Christmas tree yet. I told her I couldn’t afford to get one that year. We chatted on for a bit and then hung up. A short time later, there was a knock on my door and it was my Mom and step-Dad, Ray, and they were holding a Christmas tree. Granted, it was somewhat of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree…..Mom wasn’t known for picking out the most beautiful tree on the lot, but it was, to me, the most beautiful tree I had ever seen. I began to cry and thanked them for doing that and she said she wasn’t going to let her grand daughter have a Christmas without a Christmas tree. That was my Mom-it was the little things she did for her family and others to show her love that meant so much to us all. That is just one of many memories I will hold dear in my heart.
Now, working as a bartender, you would think that Mom would hear a lot of good jokes and would pass them along to others. Rene’, you have mentioned that Mom would tell you jokes all of the time. You were one of the lucky ones. Kathy and I used to laugh every time Mom would start to tell us a joke because she would either say the punch line at the beginning of the joke and then curse herself for messing it up or she would get to the end of the joke and forget the punch line altogether.
Mom loved to crochet blankets for the people she cared about. She spent hours on the sofa crocheting and watching television….watching television and crocheting. She was a Wheel of Fortune fan so when she saw Vanna White was expecting a baby she crocheted her a baby blanket and off it went in the mail. I never thought Vanna would actually receive it-I assumed it would wind up in a box of items that folks send to celebrities and would never be used. A short time after Mom sent the afghan, she received an autographed photo from Vanna thanking her for the beautiful crocheted blanket. Mom was pretty proud of that photo and it is still with her belongings.
They say you learn everything you need to know in Kindergarten. Well I disagree.
My Mom gave me all I need-either through the gift of life, the love she had for me and her family, the experiences she provided, the lessons she taught, and what she showed to me each and every day….as I came from my mother, she is a part of me and I will continue to draw from her the rest of my days. So I say to my sisters and your children, when life seems difficult and you are looking for answers, turn within and to one another for all that Mom gave to us. That is what a mother does-gives- and that is what a mother is-love and strength and hope. That was my Mom.##imported-begin##Barb##imported-end##
