My mom loved to celebrate. She celebrated life full of sports, music, our military, and especially her kids. She would always say "Children should be celebrated." The funny thing about quoting her is that she would always she was someone of few words. Her words made an impact and so did her actions. As we reminisced old stories and looking through even older photographs, she is clearly celebrating in them all! I'd love to share some stories and things that I hold fast to during this difficult time. I'm not going to say I lost my mom, because I didn't. I know where she is and I know she is celebrating up there with some long lost loved ones who she's been missing dearly.
The day she passed we were recounting the stories of when she was little girl. Having four older brothers played a big role in these stories as you could imagine. One of my favorites was when her brothers told her that she could be Queen for the day if she sat on the throne-shaped cactus in the backyard. Afterward, her mom laid her over her lap without pants to remove the prickers while she was having tea with a friend. Talk about humbling, right?
Another good story that I remember was when she was giving a boy back a ring when she didn't want to go steady with him. In the ring box was not only the ring but a live stink bug. I loved the mischievous giggle she did then she said she watched it spray him in the face!
I grew up hearing these stories and we made our own together when it was just me and mom. She used to sing me the Helen Reddy song "You and me against the world." Those were the days of cruising around in her Nissan Sentra with our case of favorite cassette tapes. We loved to rock out to "Don't you Want Me" by Human League. She also let me put my entire collection of Pound Puppies in the back windshield along with scratch-n-sniff stickers on the glove box. It was pretty rad.
After marrying my stepdad and moving from Long Beach to Orange County our family grew by two within a couple years. I felt like a team with my mom when we'd play, or bathe, or cuddle little Bri and Cassie. We loved them, adored them and she became whole. She glowed with a maternal light that everyone could see. We were the light of her life. We were celebrated. We celebrated good report cards, recitals, school holiday programs, life in general and then the normal things that people celebrate too like graduation, marriage, new baby etc. I'm not sure how many times I've clinked glasses with her.
My mom endured hardships. These are things that could not be celebrated. However, all of you supported her along the way. It was during this time she became a grandma and not just any Grandma she was "CaliGram" to Allison. She could be found reading, cuddling, playing games or watching movies with her. She took Allison to Disney and Knott's for the first time. She showered her with love and the short time I've been pregnant she's been loving on my belly. When I told her we'd make a swing down by her lake house in Michigan, she made sure to tell me to swing on it with the little boy she'd never meet. Luckily, Allison has made such beautiful memories that she can share with the new little boy.
I want to read an part of a book I bought for mom that she and I both have read to Allison. While it may be a children's book, I think we can appreciate the sentiments (read excerpts). I'm sure you've been feeling those tugs at your heartstrings from her this week. You'll keep feeling those because that's what she did best. She made you feel loved, she only attended to you when you spent time together and she brought out the best you. She could be witty, silly, morbid in humor, and just plain fun. She was always loving, generous and very welcoming. She was patriotic, she was a fanatic about sports, especially our teams growing up and more recently her Patriots. She is still my biggest fan. I can still feel it and I hope you feel her presence everyday.
We are fortunate to have loved someone worth missing this much.
The day she passed we were recounting the stories of when she was little girl. Having four older brothers played a big role in these stories as you could imagine. One of my favorites was when her brothers told her that she could be Queen for the day if she sat on the throne-shaped cactus in the backyard. Afterward, her mom laid her over her lap without pants to remove the prickers while she was having tea with a friend. Talk about humbling, right?
Another good story that I remember was when she was giving a boy back a ring when she didn't want to go steady with him. In the ring box was not only the ring but a live stink bug. I loved the mischievous giggle she did then she said she watched it spray him in the face!
I grew up hearing these stories and we made our own together when it was just me and mom. She used to sing me the Helen Reddy song "You and me against the world." Those were the days of cruising around in her Nissan Sentra with our case of favorite cassette tapes. We loved to rock out to "Don't you Want Me" by Human League. She also let me put my entire collection of Pound Puppies in the back windshield along with scratch-n-sniff stickers on the glove box. It was pretty rad.
After marrying my stepdad and moving from Long Beach to Orange County our family grew by two within a couple years. I felt like a team with my mom when we'd play, or bathe, or cuddle little Bri and Cassie. We loved them, adored them and she became whole. She glowed with a maternal light that everyone could see. We were the light of her life. We were celebrated. We celebrated good report cards, recitals, school holiday programs, life in general and then the normal things that people celebrate too like graduation, marriage, new baby etc. I'm not sure how many times I've clinked glasses with her.
My mom endured hardships. These are things that could not be celebrated. However, all of you supported her along the way. It was during this time she became a grandma and not just any Grandma she was "CaliGram" to Allison. She could be found reading, cuddling, playing games or watching movies with her. She took Allison to Disney and Knott's for the first time. She showered her with love and the short time I've been pregnant she's been loving on my belly. When I told her we'd make a swing down by her lake house in Michigan, she made sure to tell me to swing on it with the little boy she'd never meet. Luckily, Allison has made such beautiful memories that she can share with the new little boy.
I want to read an part of a book I bought for mom that she and I both have read to Allison. While it may be a children's book, I think we can appreciate the sentiments (read excerpts). I'm sure you've been feeling those tugs at your heartstrings from her this week. You'll keep feeling those because that's what she did best. She made you feel loved, she only attended to you when you spent time together and she brought out the best you. She could be witty, silly, morbid in humor, and just plain fun. She was always loving, generous and very welcoming. She was patriotic, she was a fanatic about sports, especially our teams growing up and more recently her Patriots. She is still my biggest fan. I can still feel it and I hope you feel her presence everyday.
We are fortunate to have loved someone worth missing this much.
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