Sunday, May 13, 2012

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY


Mom is the most wonderful person I know. By the time my mother was my age she had 7 children and I wasn't even a twinkle in her eye. I don't know how she did it. She has tons of stories about: 3 little ones in diapers at the same time, broken bones, toys everywhere, many fevered nights, packing 100's of lunches, hanging 1000's of loads of laundry on the line, building many a furniture fort and stretching a dollar so far that it squeaked.

Although she laughs when we say so, she is beautiful and has the patience of a saint. No one ever guesses her real age. She just turned 89 on Friday.


Look at the crew she raised. There are 8 college graduates, three who served in the military,  four moms, and four dads, who have 17 children between them. We are spread across the country, from New Hampshire to California. What she taught us got us through struggles with our faith, moving away to foreign countries, miscarriages, divorces, health issues, financial struggles and many sleepless nights.

We were raised in a small town where you didn't need a car to get around (none of us were allowed to get our driver's license until we were 18), everyone knew everyone and the paper mill whistle was your signal to get home at night. We enjoyed swimming in the river, hiking in the woods, picking blackberries and fiddleheads, skiing, collecting comic books, building model rockets, playing board games, mowing many lawns, and shoveling many driveways.

Mom, made our house a home. She was excited to see us move out on our own, but just as excited to see us come home to share the excitements of our travels.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM! I LOVE YOU!

5 comments:

Juli said...

What an awesome tribute. :) My Mo raised three of us,and although it's not the feat of raising 8, I'm sure we turned her gray faster than we should have.

And 89? Would never have guessed.

Tracy said...

Tracy,
That was lovely! I can so hear the pride in your voice of the things she has instilled in you! love it....

happymomof4 said...

What a beautiful post! Happy Mother's Day to you and your mom:)

Marianne (Mare) Baker Ball said...

How beautiful your mom is still with you. My dad turned 89 last week too. That age group really is the Greatest Generation, isn't it? So glad you all had a a wonderful that, and that your mom is still with you.

Connie said...

I think the trait your mom passed on to all of you is a wonderful sense of fun. You all look most like your mother when you smile and laugh.