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| A birthday celebration in her signature red! |
My mother would have been 71 today. Mom always enjoyed the presents and the cake…but
not the age. I remember on one occasion
when she made the comment she was going to celebrate her 29th
birthday that year…but she said it in front of her step father who was well
aware that she was closer to fifty at the time. He told her that if she was going to lie…at
least make it believable. Especially
since her oldest daughter was about that age.
Mom will have been gone seven years come the day after
Christmas. Dad and I went over and
bought red roses to place on her grave for her birthday. You might say that Mom’s signature color was
red. She always wore bright red
lipstick, loved red clothes, and even created a bathroom that was a tribute to
the color red…so it is fitting to give Mom red roses. Time has given me the ability to think about
Mom with a smile. I can still hear her
voice in my head telling me what I should or shouldn't do. I remember just before Mom died…she had me go
and put a silk poinsettia on her mother's grave because her favorite flower was a
poinsettia. Mom and I talked at the time
that even though it had been 30 years since her mother had died…she never
stopped missing her or thinking about her.
I didn't realize that I would find out how true her words really
were.
Many years ago I was talking to my uncle on the
telephone. Mom was in the same room and
we were both asking questions. Uncle
Claude wasn't the most vocal person when it came to communicating how he felt –
he could tell the best stories, but the “I love you!” wasn't easy for him. As we were getting off the phone, I told him
that I loved him. He got a little
emotional and replied that he loved me too.
Mom was getting a little teary eyed and told me to tell him the same
thing from her. Claude being Claude…had
to interject some humor. He replied that
she had better love him…he helped bring her into the world!
I knew there was a story here…that I had never heard. “What do you mean…”I asked. It turns out that when it was time for
Grandma Cappy to give birth to Mom…her husband was out hunting. So…Grandma had to draft her little brother to
drive her to the hospital. So, there he
was – a 17 year old kid taking his big sister to the hospital. Grandma Cappy had to leave her older daughter
at home with her mother. It isn't really
as if the father was with the mother in the delivery rooat at the birth during that time period, but Grandma
Cappy correctly believed that if Grandpa Richard was present at the conception,
he certainly needed to be there at the birth. If he couldn't manage that….then there were going to be no more children.
Mom’s last birthday was 64, which was much too young. Mom was a wonderful musician, gifted
organizer, cook, crafter, and avid computer operator. However, I think she was most proud of being a
loving and loved wife, mother and daughter.
There are many adjectives that I
could use to describe my mother – intelligent, funny, wacky, stubborn, and opinionated.
So today I celebrate my Mom and all the things that she was to everyone who
loved her and she loved. I understand
what she told me on her mother’s birthday’s back in 2005 – that you never stop
missing your mother, and I know I never will.
Happy Birthday Momma!
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| Mom was about 15 and getting ready for a violin recital. Mom (Betty) is pictured here with her mother, Cappy. |
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