This is the Infinity Circle Necklace that Hip Mom Jewelry made for me.
Yes, that is the clear hangar strap from my shirt draped over my left shoulder, I’m classy.
There are three reasons I love this necklace:
1. I can choose which child gets featured between the rings and therefore is my favorite child of the day. If they start acting up, all I have to say is, “Do you want me to turn the circle?”
2. Obviously it’s very pretty and it features four of my favorite things.
Oh! Sorry, Preacher, next time I’ll get your name on there too. Poor puppy.
3. This is for all us old Mommas…
that can’t remember where we set our glasses…
and can’t live without them for more than a few minutes.
WA-LAH!
I can’t see a darn thing! But isn’t that necklace pretty? Do you want one? Hip Mom Jewelry is giving one of these away to one of my fabulous readers. Of course the winner won’t have my children’s names stamped on it. That would be weird.
Here’s how to enter: Contest Closed. Thank you all for entering I have loved reading the comments about your Mommas!
In honor of Mother’s Day please tell me something wonderful about your momma and if you don’t have a momma then tell me something wonderful about a momma that you love.
Contest ends Saturday May 9th at 5:00pm CST. Winner will be announced on Mother’s Day!
The winner will be determined by my MOM! That’s right I called Grandma Martha today and asked her if she would be the judge of this contest and she was very excited. She will be reading all the entries from her headquarters at The Puppet Factory and she alone will determine who has the most wonderful story about their momma. Let me give you a hint, Grandma Martha is very sentimental and she loves to laugh.
One entry per person please.
Oh, and one more thing, if you feel there is no chance in H-E-double hockey sticks that you are going to win this little contest but you really want that necklace, then you can go to Hip Mom Jewelry and use the code COALCREEKFARM to recieve 20% off your entire order until the end of May. Don’t you love a coupon?!
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My mom is a retired elementary teacher. She wasn’t a stay-at-home mom that I was so jealous of but she taught me a strong, midwestern work ethic. She loved us, always drove me and my siblings to learn and to go to college. She also taught me how important family is. I didn’t truly apprectiate her until I became a mother myself and realized how hard it is to be a mom.
I love my Momma because she’s my best friend. She listens to me complain endlessly on the phone. She stayed home with us and still stays home with my brother and cares for him and my father. She’s an amazing woman.
My mom never raised her voice. I didn’t appreciate this until I had kids of my own. My mom was kind to everyone and never said anything bad about anyone. She only had 2 people she confided and even gossiped with but she kept a secret and was discreet about gossiping only with trusted individuals. Again, another trait I didn’t appreciate until I was much older. My mom passed away 3 years ago; she always kept a beautiful home but never complained about how other people didn’t keep up with their things. She made you feel at home (did not follow behind you with a dust pan) and never ever complained about doing housework or yard work – or any kind of work. she just did it happily. Growing up I never heard her say ‘who made this mess in here?’ or anything like that. she made life seem “easy”. unfortunately I didn’t get that trait from her but I will never forget how wonderful she was. She always was glad to hear from me, even if I had been out of touch for a while. she never nagged at me about how i didn’t call enough or do enough for her – yet deep down I knew I should be doing more. If I could be half the woman she was I will consider myself a success.
My mom is the most rational, down to earth person I know. Whenever I have a crazy idea, she can talk me down. Whenever I have a decison to make – she is the one person I MUST talk to . . . she always points out the sides I never contemplated. She is always on my side – even when I don’t take her advice.
She is also willing to do absolutely anything for me . . . even if it isn’t rational and down to earth. That’s what makes her so great.
My Mom is my best friend and a great Grandma to my two daughters. So many wonderful memories.
The necklace is so neat. Love it.
First time visitor…long time reader of your crazy sister and P-Dub….
MY Mom, well let’s not go there….sad as it is, lets just not go there..
My MIL ~ now this woman is amazing…I’m married to her 2nd born son,(she has 4 sons)and she is everything I always hoped my Mom would have been but wasn’t…she is kind, caring, loving and full of herself and loves me for who I am, not what I am…she is my best friend…I’m a better woman not only because of the wonderful man she raised that I share my life with, but because Momma (that’s what I call her and its okay, she doesn’t mind)always makes me feel special…well anyone feels special when shes around..this woman is amazing!!! Her stories about her youth amaze me..her Momma was an incredible woman, sadly I never got to know her…but feel as if I do thru Momma’s stories of her Momma…Momma is grandmother to my 3 adult children and Great Grandmother (GG is what they call her) to our 3 wonderful grandkids…my life is blessed to have her in it…I Love you Momma Sande, with all of my heart. Thank you for the love, the caring and the constant support in anything I do…
okay, now I’m crying..I love this woman…I only hope I can be half as good as she is….
Betsy
My mom is just the best there is! She is always there to talk (even if it’s not what I want to hear) and listen and she very rarely does! She’s a talker! If I won this necklace I would give it to her to wear. She doesn’t have a lot of jewelry and it would be a good addition to the hanging flower baskets I bought for her!
I also live in Kansas! Close to Concordia!
I would like to nominate my wonderful mother Judy Ansley for the beautiful necklace. There are so many things that I feel like I need to share but I think the most important thing is that she is beautiful inside and out.
This mother’s day is even more special to all of us this year for the fact that last week, April 30th, she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. We all know that we have a long journey ahead of us with chemotherapy, radiation and possibly a major surgery. She is strong and will get through this because of her determination and her love for life.
In addition, she is currently going through a divorce from my father and her husband of almost 35 years. Her dedication to building her life back from the years of abuse is something that I commend her for. She is a fighter and one who is not going to give up easily.
As you can see, her life and the road ahead might not be the easiest but life’s journeys is what makes us who we are and she is without a doubt beautiful inside and out!
If she were selected to have the necklace, I would give it in honor of her life that she has lived and the life that she has yet to live. Thank you for your consideration!
On a side note…this blog/website is her daily dose of funny! She loves it and is always encouraging me and her friends to read it!
My mom hd my brother when she was 28 and me when she was 31. My father was an adulturous bastard who left her for one of his flings when I was 5 years old.
In those days “divorced” people were few and far between – especially in our small village.
She got a job, barely getting by – but _somehow_ she got us through it. The sacrifices she made for my brother and I are immense. I didn’t fully understand them until I was much older.
She’s still smart as a whip, quick with a quip and the kindest, most caring and compassionate woman I have ever met in my life – and that’s not just me being biased because she’s my mum!
Everyone who spends time with her ends up calling her “mom” – most of my friends did all through school – and she will still do anything to protect my brother and I. She’s like a lioness. Even in her sixties. You don’t mess with her kids, or her family.
I still don’t know all the terible things that happened to her in her childhood (she doesn’t talk about it – it’s “not relevant” she says) I just know that she is strong, and she made us strong!
We call my mom “The Bright Side Lady”. She is so completely positive about everything – I could have had my car broken into and she’d say “at least the whole thing wasn’t stolen”. Her positive attitude reminds me daily that no matter what, everything will be ok. And she’s completely devoted to our children – she is their afternoon caregiver, homework helper, activity taxi, teacher, playmate, biggest cheerleader and she can’t help but do a few dishes and fold laundry to even help me! Everyone she meets loves her and I’m very proud she’s my mom.
my mother is the most admirable woman i know. my father died shortly after my fifth birthday (i’m the youngest of four) and she was able to raise my siblings and i with a love for knowledge, the arts and each other. we all graduated college and then she herself went back for her masters when she was 55 years old. i most recently have been discovering her mad sense of humor, which she had passed on to me years ago.
I can hardly write this because when I think of my mom I start to cry. She is the definition of patience. I can only remember her once getting upset with one of her 8 children, and he got a swat on his bottom and that was that. He was 3 and probably deserved it, but I don’t know why.
One of my very favorite memories is that my sister and I who are about 15 mos apart always wanted to be twins, mind you we looked nothing like twins, she is petite and, well, let’s just say I’ve never been. Anyway, one year as a surprise for us for Christmas, Mom made us matching dresses and you would have thought we had won the lottery. I don’t even remember what we got from Santa, that was the hightlight.
We also made our one and only big move from MO to AR on Dec. 26(!!!) in a snowstorm. Dad had the old car with the dogs and Mom had the new car with the 6 kids. They had worked out this walkie talkie thing so they could keep in touch but somehow, 30 min from departure they got separated and were never able to find each other again until they got to AR. Mom made it first,and……she was 8 mos. pregnant!
What a woman! If I could only be half the mom she has been.
My mom and I are nothing alike. NOTHING. It’s like I was adopted. Despite all this, she loves me like no one else. She doesn’t care that I’m stubborn, that I make no sense to her or that I buck her regularly on things. She loves me. And I love her. Unconditionally. That’s why she’s my mom. She’s the only one who could love me that much.
What a beautiful necklace and website!
My MOM!
My Mom is my angel, my rock, my savior. She is an integral part of my success as a mother, a wife, a human! She loves me to the ends of the universe. She helps me with my five children. She even watches them for days on end so that my husband and I can have get-aways now and again. She wants for me more than she has herself. She has taught me patience (still learning), compassion, and selflessness. She is my HERO and I am blessed to call her Mom!
She also gave me a really cool name
I have really been struggling with this one every since I saw the contest yesterday because I really want that necklace but I couldn’t really think of anything good about my mother but I did keep thinking and this is what I came up with. She has an incredible work ethic she has worked incredibly hard her entire life she was a back-woods Kentucky hillbilly who had less than nothing (she can remember being a pre-teen and someone bringing their first refridgerator on a horse-drawn wagon) to a succesful now retired business woman with all the creature comforts you could ask for. I can remember her staying up to 1 or 2 am “putting up food” for our family of five and still working her office job and not complaining. Yes, she may not be anything else, but she is a hard worker. That is all the “good” that I can think about her. Everyday I do the opposite of what she would have done in regards to my children, hopefully mine will have more “good” to say about me.
Congrats on your first give-away!
As for the contest, my mom is the most supportive person in the whole wide world. She has always encouraged every whim/adventure I’ve had, and truly believes that I will achieve my dreams. She’s always there to supply an encouraging word, and she always listens to my complaints when things aren’t going well. On top of all that, she’s the most creative person I’ll ever know. I look up to her like you wouldn’t believe (but let’s keep that our little secret, ok?)- she’s the best!
My mom was both mom and dad to me after my parents split up. She worked hard her whole life to take care of us. She was married young and had kids early so she was kind of figuring things out as she went along. I really appreciate how hard she worked and the sarifices she made to raise us now that I have kids of my own.
My mom has been a great role model for me—she’s helped me become a good mom. With my father a workaholic, she raised four kids pretty much by herself with enthusiasm, energy, and love. My mom is my hero!
My mom is the greatest ever. When she was just a baby herself (17) and unwed she found out that she was pregnant with me. She came from a very strict, very poor, very Catholic farming family with 11 siblings. Her dad was an alcoholic and her mom abusive but she didn’t listen to their wishes for an adoption (or some of her friends and abort) and instead decided to keep me. This meant that she had to drop out of high school but she did it anyway, for me. We never had very nice things when I was young and she was working most of the time, but I am here today because of her. Growing up she has always been my best friend and now is the best “Nana” (don’t let her hear you call her grandma because “she is too young to be a grandma”) to my 2-year-old Isabelle. I couldn’t have asked for more. I love her.
I have been missing my mom so much. She passed away suddenly 3 years ago. I think she left us because she just got to missing my dad too much. He passed a couple years before she did. My mom gave birth to 11 children over a period of 20 years. She did almost EVERYTHING a woman could do to not get pregnant, and without revealing too many details, we all just figured the Lord had other ideas in mind. You see, she was such a gracious, gentle, smart…oh my she was smart and wonderful woman, and I just believe that He knew she could handle all of us. She and my dad had the most wonderful relationship. Even with the crazy mayhem of the work-a-day week taking care of the household and family, mom and dad made time EVERY Saturday to at least go for a ride in the car, just to get away for a little bit by themselves. Do you know that my dad even brought my mom flowers EVERY SINGLE SATURDAY as long as he lived? ‘Tis true. Even when times were tough, and money was unavailable for flowers, he’d stop by the side of the road and pick her a bouquet of wildflowers. Like a lot of kids, I didn’t appreciate my mom fully until I grew up, married and had a family of my own. She was a true lady and all 11 of us kids knew we had her unconditional love….no matter what. Raising such a huge family did seem to get to her every now and then…but she NEVER “lost it.” At least not in a conventional way. One of my favorite memories, is of a sunny afternoon when we’d all been running through the sprinkler and raising havoc. Mom told us she’d buy us a cone at DQ I(an extremely rare treat) if we could change quickly and load in the station wagon as she had to go to the bank. Well, the “littles” were really being loud and obnoxious in the car..mom (wasn’t a yeller) calmly asked my brother for his bandanna. (He was about 8 and into cowboys & indians). She said..”So…do you kid dare me to tie this around my face like a bandit when I go to the drive thru window?” Of course we all said..”YES!” We were confidant that this woman with the quiet voice, french twist and love for opera would NEVER submit to such a crazy idea. Well..don’t you know she did! She tied that darn bandanna over her face like a bandit from Gunsmoke and drove her station wagon full of hysterically laughing kids right up to the window and calmly conducted her transaction, smiling at the teller, who smiled back and said, “Thank you Mrs.———-!” I will never forget this lady of great wit, grace and strength. I love and miss you oh so much Mom. Happy Mother’s Day.
I remember the years of thinking ‘what possibly could my Mom know??” I always thought she was a Mom. For years
and years, I didn’t see the reasons why she was so tired
-and then I had a family of my own. Oh yes, it’s true
what they say. My Mom worked tirelessly at home, she
even made 3 different dinners if requested (I can’t stand
that thought for her now) She also paved the way for me
to have choices, choices that she, somehow, felt she didn’t have. My parents were married for 60 years, and
together, they taught me what the meaning of ups and downs
and staying through to the end was all about. My Mom taught me about sacrifice, and I still remember walking
out of my house to my Mom yelling ”Don’t forget, why
buy the milk when you can get the cow for free”? I was
going to play in a softball tournament, at the time.
I know one thing, although there were times when I wondered, now that I have a grown son who will probably
met married soon, my Mom is definitely eternally placed
imprints on my mind, and she will live in all of our hearts forever, as someone who had a lot of hardship in life, but when she knew better, she did better. She is
the epitome of love.
My momma is the biggest little woman I know. She’s mini but mighty and she was as good at scaring me into behaving and breaking up fights between me and my brother as she was at teaching me how to make the best thing in all the world – gravy from scratch!
P.S. Don’t tell her…but I probably DID deserve all those whippins that she gave my brother when I blamed him
My mom was always a great mom, but I never realized it more than when I was in labor with my first. She spent hours helping me suffer through natural childbirth even though the nurse in her prayed I would just take the drugs. She never said it though. She also cleaned my kitchen and kept my husband fed through the whole thing. And also, she’s the world’s most wonderful grandma.
When I was little and would get hurt, Mom would say “it’ll be gone before you’re married”…I never dared asked what happened if you got hurt after the wedding! In the last 3 yrs she’s broken a hip, bounced back from that only to fall while painting and break her shoulder, nose and pelvis…and bounce back from that. She babysits her 2yr. old great granddaughter, cooks for the parish priests, caters funerals and feeds everyone who walks into her kitchen..she’s Greek, what do you expect? She’s funny, smart ,pretty and pretty amazing! I want to be her when I grow up!
My mother is 86 years old. My father is 89. I now live with them and take care of them so they can stay in their home. Mom has been a very loving wonderful mother. I had a wonderful childhood and she taught me to be a good mother. She has pulmonary fibrosis. In 2001 she was given 2 years to live. I thought wow! that is great. It is 8 years later, she is still hanging in there. She has set goals for living over the years. My daughters wedding 2005. Made it! Same daughters college grad next year. Made it! My sons grad from college 2007. Made it! Now today she told me her next goal it to make it to see both of my children receive their Master’s degrees in Dec 2009. She also added that she does not expect to see my grandchildren. It will not surprise me. Love that woman. She is one tough chick.
I have just recently found your blog as well as Pioneer Woman (where have I been…?) and it has been something I look forward to reading everyday. I am convinced that this is what my mother would have been doing had there been such a thing as the internet and blogs around when we were growing up on a farm in southwest Kansas. Instead, she wrote an article called “This is Mrs.” for the local paper(wow… that was a great title in the 70′s!) and shared the tales of raising our blended family which would have embarassed me a whole lot more if I had been a little older and realized everything she was telling about us.
The stories are endless as we were uprooted from the “city” (town of about 20,000) to the country and moved into the partially renovated farm house (my dad’s dream) which was really never done in the years to come. And, although I don’t think my mom was the typical farm wife and mother as she never gave up her subscription to the New Yorker (and in fact used the covers as artwork), listened to NPR vs. the ag reports and constantly redecorated our house in the latest style (really, a white couch with 4 kids in the country?!) she embraced it and helped us to create memories there that we all still cherish today.
In the end, my dad who was the champion of living in the country, died suddenly and my mom had to make some very tough choices for herself and my little brother who was the last one left at home. She stuck it out for a while but eventually it was just too tough to continue on her own and she had to sell the land and ultimately the house. Today, there is little we love to do more in our family than to reminisce about the days of no air conditioning, cows on the porch, geese chasing after us and my dad’s philosophy that you can fix ANYTHING with a little bailing wire.
My mom has always been and continues to be the strongest, classiest, smartest and best mom we could have all asked for!
I am a halfsie. Not quite one race, but not entirely the other one either. My Mami is from Barranquilla, Colombia, South America, and my Papa is as southern as a Texan cowboy can get. They met in Colombia where my Papa was working on a construction job, and fell in love. She followed my Papa back to his home in good ol’ South Texas, not knowing anything about this country, its customs, its beliefs, its language, nothing. She only knew she loved her husband.
She is, without a doubt, the strongest person I know. Not the strongest woman, the strongest person. Growing up, I never knew quite who to identify myself with. The white kids? I couldn’t, because my skin was darker. The hispanic kids? I couldn’t, because when they’d ask me if I was Mexican, I would reply, “No, half Colombian.” And they would just walk away. Coming home from school in tears the majority of the time because I felt like such an outcast, it was my Mami who would take my face in her hands and say, in Spanish of course, “Do not let them see you cry. You are a pioneer. The world won’t always be like this.” She was, and still is, my sounding board, my rock, my best friend.
When she left Colombia, she knew nothing about cooking. It’s hard to believe that now if you taste her charcoal grilled T-bone, mashed potatoes, and sweet corn on the cob. You’d think she grew up making it. She didn’t. She learned.
When she left Colombia, she knew not a word of English. Although she still has an accent, heavier with some words, it speaks to the fact that she learned. She did not grow up speaking this foreign language, she learned.
My Mami has taught me more things than I could ever write down on paper, but I think the most important thing is this: You can truly be anything you want, and do anything that makes you happy. All you have to do is put your mind to it and your heart in it, and you’ll be okay, no matter what.
Te quiero mucho, Mami.
Back when I was in high school money was really tight. There really wasn’t any money left over for new clothes, but I had a strong desire to look like the other girls and to have new things. So many nights after everyone had gone to sleep my mom would stay up for hours sewing. I would wake in the morning and find a new top to wear. I remember heading off to school in my new clothes and getting complimented on what I was wearing. It made me feel really special! I got married a month after high school graduation to a great guy. 27 years later we are still together! Anyway, when we were planning my wedding I was very aware of the money situation in my parents household. There was no way I was going to be able to have some big, fancy wedding. I “settled” by having my mom make my wedding dress along with the dresses for the entire wedding party as a way to save money. Now looking back at the photos I see how lovely everyone looked (by 1982 standards!) and feel even more honored by the fact that my mom did this for me.
My mom always did the best she could with what she had. And I’ll never forget the smell of her fresh homemade donuts as I came in the door after school.
Wow, where do I begin? My mom gave birth to 14 children. (No multiples!) One child died shortly after birth, another in a car accident when she was 21 and I was 9. My mom was (and still is) the strongest woman I know. As a child I never felt that I was without something everyone else had. We always had home cooked food on the table, decent clothes and shoes on our bodies, and a warm (shared :0) ) bed to lay our heads. She made many, many sacrifices for all of us kids. She worked nights for nearly 20 years while my dad worked days, so one of them could always be at home to make sure we “toed the line.” I grew up in a small town in Nebraska, where my parents still live today. I love taking my own children back there so they can experience small town living! Now that she is “retired” she volunteers most of her “free” time to the church and her 23 grandchildren! 11 of the 12 kids live within 100 miles of them. (I was the only one who ventured away, but am counting the days till I move back.) Growing up, we were always taught that God and family are most important. I couldn’t agree more.
I have been married 29 years to a wonderful man. He is one of four sons. So, my mother-in-law ended up with 4 daughters-in-law, or as I like to call us, her back up team! I truly lucked out to find that my MIL and I had so very much in common. We both love my husband, we love all things homemaking from cooking to sewing, we love snorkeling, we both love my children and think they are truly miraculous, and very best of all we both really like and love each other. My MIL has Alzheimer’s Disease and is in the end stages. I visited her last week at the extended care facility. When I walked in, I said “Hi Mom!” She just looked at me and I thought that this was it; the moment that I had been dreading. She didn’t know me. Slowly, recognition flooded her eyes and she said “Oh, Hi!” She may not know who I am, or say my name, but, she still loves me, I saw it in her eyes! Happy Mother’s Day, Mom….and thank you!
This entry is for my daughter who is lovingly raising my beautiful granddaughter.
When I see my granddaughter’s happy, chubby, beaming little face, I am flooded with content and peace. When I get the latest news, I am amazed at the affection and love my granddaughter doles out to her parents. This precious little girl is growing up with a blanket of love and security around her.
This is my joy for Mother’s Day and I would love to complete the circle.
My momma is very organized…..and I didn’t necessarily inherit that trait….and I love that about her (among other things!!)
Happy Mother’s Day to you!
My Mom has been diagnosed with MS about 18 months ago, just had a big ole cancer taken off of her nose and is a little discombobulated to say the least…she is living with my Husband and I and our 4 boys…that is probably not how she invisioned her retirement…she has never complained once about any inconveniences or pains or Dr. office visits or me not letting her drive and treating her like she is unable to do anything…never complains…never complains…oh to have that grace!!!!
I cannot think fo a funny or entertaining story about my mom at this very moment, but I can tell you that my mom is the epitome of the word “mother”. She raised 12 children (I am the second eldest) and homeshcooled us all (in order to save us from the path of destruction our school system was leading us down). Aside from our education, she taught us the basics of life, like how to cook, clean, manage finances, prioritize, and how to take care of eachother. I appreciated my mom while I was growing up, but now that I have three children of my own, I REALLY appreciate her. I have a fuller understanding of just how much she gave up in order to raise us well.
My mom is my best friend. She is there to listen to me whether the subject of my griping is my kids, my husband or my bills! But one of things that really stands out to me was something she taught and modeled to both my brother and I. She always said that the one thing that bothered her about her own mother is that she could never apologize when she was wrong. She taught us that mothers can and do make mistakes and that it doesn’t mean they don’t love us, it means they are humans. Humans with a great capacity to love and care for others. She taught me that love means saying you are sorry if you make a mistake.
My mom was my best friend for all of elementary school. Now i’m in high school and i feel lucky because unlike other girls, i can tell her anything and know she won’t judge me. She keeps me from doing stupid mistakes, and helps me learn from hers. My mom is my rolemodel and i can’t think of anyone who deserves an amazing mothers day.
My mom is about 4’10″. She’s a 15 year breast cancer survivor. She is one of the best cooks any of us have ever known. She has no sense of direction – none – yet brags that she does. She is one of the best ping pong players you will ever meet. She loves mojitos and can sit in the sun in her driveway drinking them like no one else. She is 85 years old and going strong. We don’t call her the battle axe for nothing. We love her to death.
I want to recognize two women who shaped who I am. My Mom, Suzanne, passed away in Oct. 1995 after a battle with breast cancer at the age of 61. I was 24 and I still miss her terribly at the age of 37. (You never get to old to need your Momma.) Mom raised eight children. The first seven were born in less than nine years; the oldest was born Dec. 29, 1954 and child number seven was born Aug. 30, 1963. I am the youngest, child number eight, and what some refer to as a “late in life baby”; Mom was 37 when I was born. She was the kind of Mom that was always there from helping with homework, to planning/volunteering at school/club activities, to babysitting her grandchildren. She was fiercely protective but taught us to be well mannered and respectful of others and expected us to be well behaved. Mom was a lot of fun and a gracious hostess. My older siblings and their childhood friends often reminisce about the days they spent “hangin’ out” our house. And, I’ll never forget my 13th birthday party; at my 10 yr. class reunion, while remembering the good ole’ days, one of my classmates even brought it up. He was remembering how Mom “got out there and danced with us.” Mom was a beautiful and confident woman. She was active in our community and well respected. As I get older, people often tell me they “can see my Mom” in me, which, to me, is the ultimate compliment. As, I said earlier, I miss my Mom terribly; and because my daughter was only 7 when Mom passed away and my son was born almost a year after she passed away, my children didn’t get the benefit of really getting to know their Meme. I love you Mom…RIP!
Another woman I felt I needed to recognize is my ex-mother-in-law, Shirley. I know this may sound strange but it is true. Her youngest son and I married when he was 18 and I was 16. She welcomed me into her family and made me feel as if I was “one of her own”. She continues to do so even though Clay and I divorced in 2001 (after 13 years of marriage due to his infidelity) and I remarried in 2004. She was very happy for me when I found happiness with my current husband and came to my wedding as “my mother”. Shirley has had a very hard life. She is one of the strongest women I know! She babysat my daughter while I finished high school and completed college; and, then my son while I worked to help support our family. Now, she is doing the same for my daughter. She babysits my 2 grandson’s while daughter goes to college. She is a wonderful mother and grandmother. One day I told her, “I hope my grandchildren feel about me the way my children feel about you.” She looked at me with tearful eyes and said “Jacki, I think that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” Shirley seldom shows emotion (she has always had to be so strong); so, I knew I had touched her which was my hope because she deserves to be recognized for all she does for her family. I love her and I am thankful to have her as “my other mother”.
I am very fortunate to have both these women in my life. I love each of them more than I can express in words. They each have helped me become the person I am…for that I am grateful.
My mom has always been there for me. I know she does so much for me…I am only 16 but I know when I’m older I will really understand what she really does for me…or so she says…when I have my own kids you’ll understand
My Mom has been living in heaven the last sixteen years, but I still miss her. She was one tough mama with six rambunctious children who kept her busy in the discipline department. I know this sounds weird, but one of my funniest remembrances of her is the time I sassed her one too many times(and I was an A number one sassbox in my day) and she grabbed the first thing she could to wallop me with which was her broom. I ran out the door with her chasing me brandishing her broom above her head. Now mother was not at all atheletic so she could not catch me, but she chased me a good quarter mile up the road. I waited a long time to come home and when I did nothing was said or done. I think her silence was more intimidating. I really miss her and wish she were here to chase me with a broom again! Maybe I’d even let her catch me.
My mama has always been an anchor of quiet strength in our family. She is a woman of strong faith and enduring love and is always there for her children and grandchildren. I love and admire her so much. She is my hero!
My Mother is and will always be my best friend. I know I can tell her anything and she will love me 100%. I do not know of anyone as selfless as her nor one who loves so deeply. After a divorce from my Father, She raised my brother and me for a couple of years on her own, and made sure we always were loved, had food (my favorite, fish sticks and Kraft mac n cheese)and were safe. And this was back in the fifties, when it wasn’t so prevalent to be a single Mom. She worked, but didn’t drive. She had to take buses and work late. I never knew the stuggles she encounted because to me, life was grand. She has many friends because of her warm personality and caring ways. And the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. I never dowbted her love. I miss her so… She passed away from Cancer 5 1/2 years ago.