This Mother's Day marks the third Mother's Day that I have been without my dear mother. Like so many of you who have lost your mothers it has become a day of reflection on all the wonderful times spent together, a day of fresh sorrow for our loss, and a day of gratefulness for having been gifted with a kind and loving mother.
My mother started her life as most of us born in the 50's did, in a family unit, with both a Father and a Mother. But at the age of nine her mother left. I never quite understood the reason why....There were these hazy words about my grandfather being a womaniser, but never any solid truths about why she left.
At the age of nine my mother became the 'woman of the house'. She had to watch over her little brother who was four years her junior, clean the house and do the cooking. This is something that is unfathomable to me still.
Mom married at the age of fifteen. Hard to imagine. However, if you had been keeping house and bearing the responsibilities she had since you were age nine it puts this event in a better perspective.
My Mom was such a hard worker. She had her first child at the age of seventeen and her last, me, at the age of thirty two. There were seven of us altogether!
We lived in a small three bedroom home. And let me tell you that house was spotless. Mom was a sterling example of a homemaker to me. She was an excellent cook, spotless housekeeper, and laundress. The one skill she never did embrace was sewing. She would hand repair our clothing, but admitted she had no desire to ever learn how to use a sewing machine.
I remember as a teenager when she went to a knitting class with her sister to take up knitting. Everyone told her it was such a relaxing pastime. She told me it made her a nervous wreck! She never again attempted any other hand crafts in her lifetime.
When I was thirteen my parents built a new home. This is a photo of Mom at the open house celebration. At this time there was only myself and my brother living at home. Mom was working a full time job by then. As a family we had our routine; work, school, weekends together, and church on Sundays. With five older siblings, who now had children of their own, our weekend were always full
with nieces and nephew running about or staying overnight. Exactly opposite to what my life is like with all of my children living so far away now.
Mom was a strict mother with very high morals. Yet she was also warm and affectionate, a real hugger. She was fair. Although as a teenager I didn't think so, I realise now that she was.
Mom wasn't perfect. She had very firm opinions about how life should be and was more than ready to tell you so. As she aged, though, she became less outspoken.
I could go on and on about how wonderful I think my mom was. I know that I was very blessed and I thank God on this day for giving me such a special Mother.
Kim
