Tuesday and Saturday with Mom

Easter was another big event. Mom would boil eggs, at least three or four dozen, and we would color them. Bernie always made the most beautiful Easter eggs. Mom would hide the eggs all over the house and outside too. We’d run as fast as we could to find them. Easter Sunday, we girls were dressed in our Sunday best. Mom made us new Sunday dresses and spring coats every year. We put on new shoes, new socks, new undies, new slips, new gloves and a new bonnet. Then we paraded down to wait for the Sunday school bus. Mom would always make a huge Easter dinner: a ham, deviled eggs and candied yams, along with her famous homemade rolls. Mom always made sure each holiday was rich with tradition for us kids.

MOM’S TRUE TALENT

After Dad died, Mom discovered her creativity and found a new love in crafting. Mom was such an artist, and so creative. I guess we didn’t realize how creative she was until she started doing her crafts. She began making pinecone wreaths and turned the basement into a little hobby shop. I remember Carol and I packing up the kids and going nature hunting with Mom. We collected every kind of pine cone and acorn and nut there was. Anything that could be dried or had seeds. Mom made her Nature Trees with the stuff we collected. To this day, I can not pass up a pine cone lying on the ground. Susy always holds me back from my irresistible urge to collect them. I rarely ever do anything with the pine cones I collect. I just like to. I guess it reminds me of happy times I spent with my Mom. Later on, Mom stated making Christmas tree ornaments. The most beautiful balls you have ever seen. She filled her tree, all of her friend’s trees, all of her children’s trees, and all of her grandchildren’s trees. Every year she would have a spread of different balls she had made laying on the dinning room table. During the holidays, when we would visit her, she would have us pick out the one we liked best. Of course she was always very careful to have at least one ornament for everyone, forgetting no one. There was a write-up about Mom and her crafts and her tree in the newspaper. This was something very special Mom did, and she shared her talent so generously. Getting out the Christmas ornaments during the holidays makes the season something very precious to all of us. The holiday season is when I remember Mom the most. And what I remember the most is how much work she had to do and how she loved every minute of it. Mom never complained. My daughter tells me this is the part of Mom I am most like. We both like hard work, doing things for others and not ever having a gripe. I felt Mom’s senior years were very enjoyable for her. Mom always kept herself busy. She had her family, her friends, her card parties, and her crafts. What a pleasure to be able to look back on your life and enjoy seven successful kids. Mom successfully got seven children through school, saw them graduate (which was a tremendous accomplishment for a family of our size), get married or start careers. Carol and I stayed in Moline. We both got married and had a child. Carol worked at the Moline Dispatch and I worked as a hairdresser in my salon. After Daddy died, we both saw to Mom’s well being. Tuesday was my day with Mom. First on the agenda, I took her to my beauty salon to do her hair. Here’s a secret. Mom was a natural light auburn beauty. She never had color on her hair. NEVER!!! HONEST!!! Cross my heart, hope to “dye”, stick a needle in my eye. She only had one white hair and I tweezed that out of her eyebrow every month. Mom would always treat me to lunch. We would sit and chat over coffee. Then I would take her to the bank and then go do her grocery shopping. On Saturday, Carol would take her turn. First she would take Mom to the bank and then to the grocery store to do grocery shopping or any other odd shopping she would need to do and then Mom took Carol to lunch. Sound familiar? It wasn’t until years later Carol and I figured out we had the same routine. It was just like Mom to help both of us feel important to her and needed by her. It was an honor to take care of Mom. I loved every minute. I just wish I could have done more for her. Mom traveled everywhere to visit her children. Coast to coast, from California to Florida, even abroad to Germany when Carol’s husband, Charlie, got transferred from the Arsenal to a missile base. The whole family contributed to Mom’s welfare. Fun money to chic clothes from Bob’s boutique to goodies from Iris and Bill’s Ben Franklin store. Mom didn’t want for anything. We did a darn good job. At times I felt sympathetic toward those that did not live closer to Mom and did not get to enjoy her every day like I did. Still, I am compelled to thank all of my brothers and sisters for helping to take such good care of our mom. She was truly a remarkable woman. Mom, you were the backbone of this family. Mom, you gave us true love, true emotion and true courage. Times being as hard as they were (well, compared to today) you managed to keep ten people well fed, well dressed, clean, and spoiled us in the process. You even managed to have your own personal life. You were truly amazing. But what I remember most is the sparkle in your eye that made me feel special, and the strength it took to never complain or ever say a bad word about anybody. You were a truly honorable and devoted parent. Your legacy lives on in the hearts of your children.