I’ve written this blog many times in my mind since my Mom passed away March 18. I just don’t think I can do it justice. Her birthday was yesterday, and so I’ve been thinking about her. She was the epitome of refinement, yet made everyone around her feel comfortable. I’ve heard others say that a synonym for our family is NICE, sometimes to a fault. I don’t know if anyone can be too nice. Well, if we are nice, we learned it from my Mom. She had the ability to listen, truly listen. She knew what to say in response that was not advice, but instead led us to our own answers. Who would have known when my Dad passed away in November, my Mom would join him in eternity just four months later? Whenever I start to feel sad, I just picture the two of them together – forever. Our pediatrician had a plaque hanging in his office that read, “The best gift a father can give his children is to love their mother.” That is true for mothers too. I thank my parents for giving me the best gift. During the last three years of my Dad’s life, my Mom stayed by his side everyday. She only left the house to have her hair done on Fridays, and to go to the occasional doctor’s appointment. There was one time she had to be gone for four days when she had a knee replacement. My Dad sat in his chair those four days staring at her bedroom door. I gave him the report on how her recovery was coming along, and then I asked him if he was feeling alright. He said, “I’ll be feeling better when I see Marie walk through that door.” There’s was and is a true love story.
When I was a little girl, my Mom made the most beautiful ornaments for our Christmas tree. She found a source for goose eggs, emptied the centers and cut out the oval opening. The eggs were then spray painted gold, filled with a little whipped wax and decorated with miniature scenes. For years our formal living room tree was flocked white and adorned with these lovely gold eggs. As an adult my Mom surprised me one Christmas and gave me an entire tree worth of her hand crafted eggs. Recently when my daughters and I were going through my Mom's things, we found cartons of prepared eggs that needed to be painted and decorated. My ambitious daughter and daughter-in-law wanted to make eggs like Grandma's. They motivated me, and I made an egg for each couple and each grandchild. I love Christmas traditions, and I thank my Mom for started something that will last through the generations.
