When I think of Mom, I think of the young
woman she must have been--one with courage and strength to
overcome the many hardships that she had to endure.When I think of Mom, I think of the mother she was to Judy and David. A person who had a strong moral integrity to impart to her children, one who had loving arms to hold them when they needed it, one who laughed with them and encouraged them, all the while believing she was truly blessed to have such children.
When I think of Mom, I think of the grandmother she was. I watched her with my children and admired her easy way with them, how she made them feel important and treasured. Many of the things she did, I do with my own grandchildren because I saw how excited they got about the dollar bill in a card for a holiday or making ice cream in the backyard or playing cards with the young ones.
When I think of Mom, I think of the way she loved to play games. Many times the two of us would sit at the kitchen table to play "Spite and Malice" or "Rack-o". I remember how we would sit in the yard on a summer evening with the whole family playing "Ghost". I'll never forget playing croquet with her and finding that she could hit that little wooden ball further than anyone else.
When I think of Mom, I think of nights we spent talking and laughing into the wee hours of the morning. We had a lot of interests in common, from books, to genealogy and of course, the children. It seemed there were an endless number of topics to talk about. Even in the later years, we could still call on the phone and talk for an hour. We would laugh about silly things and discuss earnestly a good, old romantic movie.
When I think of Mom, I think of her sitting on the couch, reading a good book. Recently, we even shared an affinity for the same kind of books--we spoke of them as our guilty pleasures. We certainly would not want to share with too many people that we read "romance" novels. We would burst into laughter over the foolish stories that sometimes made us cry. And then there was the other kind of book--the true crime book. Mom told me that she could probably commit a murder and get away with it because of all the books on murder that she had read.
I will always remember Mom. I will have all of these and many other treasured memories of her with me always. My life has truly been enriched by knowing her.
Mom, I love you.
Anna Lynn