About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Hapy Mother's Day, Mom

It will be 5 years on May 22nd since my mother passed away from Alzheimers. When she died, I remember driving home with the sun setting in the west and I knew that she was finally at peace. Mom had not known my Dad for several years by then even though he dedicated himself to caring for her at home (with only one reprieve of about 8 weeks). She sometimes didn't know my two sisters but I thank God that she always knew me and called me by name. And she had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis since she'd been in her 30s, so bad sometimes she had to have gold shots.

I can still see Mom in the kitchen. She loved to bake and made the absolute best lemon meringue pies! She did canning and pickling every August. When we were all grown up and had our own children, she made a point of having a "corn roast" for the entire family just before Labour Day. I have photos of Mom teaching my older daughter how to make cookies and of her teaching my younger daughter how to knit. Speaking of knitting, she made a lot of beautiful outfits for my two girls from before they were born until Mom's hands could no longer manage the needles because of the arthritis. And oh how she loved babies! When I came home from the hospital with my first child, Mom brought over a cake with "Welcome Home, Mommy" written on it. She could hardly wait to hold Jamie and always called her "Princess."

Mom was very smart even though she didn't go past high school. She loved to travel and after her first visit to Spain, she taught herself Spanish. She also played golf and bridge and entertained friends at our home. I can remember lots of parties at our house.

Mom was beautiful, too. When I was in the first grade, the mothers were invited to watch the class in session. We children were told NOT to turn around in our desks to look at or talk to our Moms, but I found a way. I very casually dropped my pencil and as I reached down to pick it up, I snuck a peek to see if my Mom was looking at me. I can remember catching my breath realizing how beautiful she was compared to the other Moms. After a few times casually dropping my pencil, the teacher said to me, "Leslie, that's enough now." I knew I'd been caught but my Mom just smiled her beautiful smile.

Now that I'm a mother myself, I know the love a mother has for her children and find solace knowing that she loved me to the end. I keep the memories of the special times we shared deep in my heart and when I find myself missing her, I remember those times and smile. So even though she's gone ahead of me, I still wish her a wonderful Mother's Day with her loved ones that greeted her with smiles and hugs at those pearly gates. I love you forever, Mom.

19 comments:

Jo said...

Oh, Leslie, that's beautiful. I can just see you dropping your pencil, over and over... I'll bet you weren't fooling anyone, especially your Mom. She was probably very proud that you were the only one who figured out how to do that.

Our Moms do live on. I see my Mom in Katherine, very much so. Especially her hands. So your Mom lives on in your and your daughters.

Happy Mother's Day...!

Josie

Nancy said...

What a great tribute to motherhood and to your mom! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY... ENJOY!

TomCat said...

You said it all.

Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful mothers here.

Jo said...

Awww, your mom looks adorable...! No wonder you are so grounded and level headed.

Josie

Janice Thomson said...

Wow Leslie...what a beautiful tribute to your mother. Happy Mother's Day to you.

.Tom Kapanka said...

What a wonderful way to remember the meaning of Mother's Day!

heiresschild said...

hi leslie,

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

what a beautiful tribute to your mother. i'm still playing catch up, and will return this week to read all of your previous posts. enjoy your day!

sylvia

Leslie: said...

Hi Sylvia! You're back! Hooray! And I hope you have a wonderful day, too. My girls came over yesterday plus Noah, who's three already! We had a great afternoon and I'll spend today with my younger daughter. We watched "Dreamgirls" last night and it was way better than I'd expected it to be. Great music and Jennifer Hudson should have won the Oscar for Best ACTRESS, not supporting actress. That girl sure has an incredible future!

Leslie: said...

Hi Nancy, Happy Mother's Day to you, too. Have a blessed day

Leslie: said...

Hi Janice, love your poetry, especially the one about the "beautiful rose" - reminds me that when I look in the mirror I see my mother there. :D

Leslie: said...

HI POI - enjoy your day with the mothers in your family.

Canadian Bloggette said...

No greater gift than the gift of motherhood!
and Leslie what a splendid gift has been bestowed upon you..your Mom lives on in you....you look so alike it is incredible. You are right, she was a beautiful woman and so are you...inside and out!

The circle of life continues......
Happy Mothers Day to all
Hugs
Cheryl xox

Susie said...

Hi Leslie,
Sorry I'm a day late getting here. I was surprised how close to the same time our Moms passed. Only eight days apart in 2002!
I hold so many beautiful memories of her in my heart, and I can see that you feel just the same.
Hope you had a wonderful day.
:)

Leslie: said...

Hi Susie, yes I hold her very closely in my heart and I don't know why, but I really missed her this year. Hope you had a good day and thx for stopping by.

someone else said...

Such beautiful words! She was a lovely lady.

Anonymous said...

I'm a few days late reading your blog for Mother's Day, but I just want to say Happy Mother's Day to Grammma too! Love you mom!
Jamie

Leslie: said...

Love you, too, Daughter #1...

Marie said...

hi leslie!!!! that's a great photo you have with your mom! your mother's day post is very heartwarming! you almost made me cry. a belated Happy Mother's Day, to you!!!! hope it was a great day for you!

heiresschild said...

hi leslie,

i had a beautiful mother's day. my niece did most of the cooking for my sister (her mom), my mother, and myself. everyone down to the youngest was in a good mood, and we had such a wonderful time.

i went to the movies to see dreamgirls, and it really was good. i'm glad you enjoyed your day with your family and grandson.