Saturday Photo Hunt - Post Any Photo

Since Mother's Day is tomorrow, I am going to post some photos of my mother who passed away May 22, 2002. Mom and I were very close and I remember her telling me that one day she had asked my Dad which of their three daughters was most like her. Without hesitation, my Dad told her that I was. And it's true. My mother once told me the story of when she was in elementary school and the teacher asked all the students what they wanted to be when they grew up. Everyone else said they wanted to be a doctor, teacher, fireman, policeman, businessman, nurse, secretary, etc. so Mom was terribly embarrassed when she said she wanted to be a wife and mother. Turns out that was really my calling, too. The wife part didn't work out the way I wanted it to, but my Dad once told me (and by the way, he was very stingy with compliments) that I was a good mother. Mom suffered terribly from rheumatoid arthritis from her early 30s and later, from Alzheimers which ultimately took her from us. After my mother had been gone for about two years, one of my sisters and I were visiting and remembering Mom. Somehow it came up that one day when Mom was in the hospital and my sister was visiting with her, Mom (thinking my sister was me and calling her by my name) said to her, "I always loved you most, Leslie." When my sister told me that, I could have cried - for two reasons, as you might imagine. And the night before Mom took the turn towards her final journey, we were together and I saw her smiling and nodding at what I believe were her family gone before her, gathering around waiting for her to join them. I'd like you to meet my mother, a good woman who didn't get the life she deserved.

This is just before Mom and Dad got married in January 1942.

Here they are on their wedding day, February 15, 1942.

When we were kids, we always went camping. This is around the mid-50s.

Here's my mother helping me put on my veil on my wedding day, June 23, 1973.

Once we were all grown up, Mom and Dad travelled a lot. This is one of their first trips to Spain in the late 70s. Because they went back many times, Mom even learned Spanish on her own.

By the time my daughter got married in 1999, Mom was in the full throes of Alzheimers. When Jamie walked down the aisle, I overheard my mother say, "Who is that?"



This is the photo we had at Mom's memorial service in May, 2002. It was taken on Christmas Eve of 2001 when I had her and my sisters for luncheon. She seemed so bright and happy that day, knew us all, and enjoyed the day immensely.



I love you Mom and I'm glad you and Dad are finally reunited.