Sunday 8 May 2016

A Mother's Day Dedication

 

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






6 comments:

  1. Happy Mother's Day! This is a beautiful and heartwarming tribute, Kimberly. She sounds like she was a wonderful mother. I've been without my mother for five years now, so I can understand a bit of what you feel.

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  2. What a beautiful tribute to your beautiful mom...

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  3. What a beautiful tribute to your Mother. I have found in life that the people I respect the most are usually people that have had to overcome hardships. You were very fortunate to have such a strong role model.

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  4. I think all us daughters regret our thoughts on mom when we were teens! Your mom sounds so interesting.

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  5. This was such a wonderful tribute to your mom....your mom and mine certainly shared some traits. My mom too kept an immaculate house despite having so many kids and expected a lot and let her wishes be known let me tell you, lol. She too has been gone 3 years now and I still her miss her more then I can really even express. I know you get it....Hope you had a good day!

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