Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Remembering Mother This Wintry Day

Hello!  The snow is falling as I type this.  A good day for staying in, although I did run to the grocery store for a few things before the roads were snow covered.  Today has also been a day of remembering.  My sweet mother's birthday would have been today.  The house below is where she was born.  That is her parents on the right.


As you can see, it wasn't January when this photo was taken.  I don't know what the weather was like the day my mother was born.  No one ever said and I never thought to ask, until today.  Now there is no one to ask.  I suppose it doesn't really matter all that much, it's just curiosity on my part.  But, I do wish I'd paid more attention to details when I had the chance to find out such things.

When I was a youngster, mother was usually found in the kitchen.  Or maybe at the kitchen table where she would set up the sewing machine and sew many outfits for me and for herself.  

She was a wonderful cook, but would say that she had a lot of practice.  Fixing 3 meals a day, 7 days a week and often with some farm hands that my dad had helping him with farm work to feed, too.   She worked hard at keeping her family fed and clothed.  She had to do the laundry the hard way with an old wringer-type washer and then hang the clothes on the line to dry.  I remember helping hang clothes.  That was before the wrinkle-free material existed, of course.  The clothes were brought in when dry, then they were sprinkled down and rolled up and were ironed the next day.  It took many hours to iron clothes for the 5 of us.  My mother almost always wore dresses and when I was very young, we had to wear skirts or dresses to school.  No jeans were allowed on girls unless it was very cold and then we wore them under our dresses.  
 
My mother loved her family and liked to play cards, read and occasionally go fishing.  I remember the times that picnic lunches were fixed and the neighbor friends would all gather at a fishing spot on the creek.  Those were fun times.  She also loved music and enjoyed playing the piano.  

My daughter Kim was the apple of her eye and she would have loved my son, Brett, as well.  She loved sports and would have enjoyed going to their ball games and would have been their biggest cheerleader.   She and BG got along famously because they both loved to talk about the games and watched them together when we were visiting.  She also just thought he was a good guy.  :)  

My daughter was only 5 and my son was 2 weeks old when my mother was taken from us by the horrible disease, ALS.  Many of my long-time blogging friends have read about that.  I was only 31 and I've missed her every day since.  Oh, it's true that time lessens the grief and there are a few days when I might not think of her, but she will always be in my heart.  Always.  I love you, Mom.  Happy Birthday!

I could write a book about my mother, but I'll stop with this poem:

If Roses grow in Heaven, 
Lord please pick a bunch for me,
Place them in my Mother's arms
and tell her they're from me.
Tell her I love her and miss her,
and when she turns to smile,

place a kiss upon her cheek
and hold her for awhile.
Because remembering her is easy, 

I do it every day, but there's an ache
within my heart that will never go away.     
                               ~Author Unknown

Stay safe and stay well!
xo Cheryl

33 comments:

  1. Dear little Farmers Daughter...
    Your post could have been about MY mother...I know how much you miss her...mine passed away almost 30 yrs ago...and I miss her every single day. We never forget our mothers..and the love for them continues to grow, even when they are gone. Mine loved my kids so much but it wasn't until I myself became a grandmother that I realized HOW MUCH she loved them. Even after so long, some days I miss her so much, I cry....so thankful for all the good times we had, as I know you are the same. And, like you, i have no one left to ask the questions I wish I had asked long long ago....sometimes, when I miss her so much, I make a pot of chicken and dumplins, her famous dish, and a cake she made for me all my life....it seems to help ease the missing just a tiny bit.
    xoxo to you, bj

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  2. Oh, Cheryl...what a sweet post. By the way, I have helped mom do the washing lots of times with a wringer washer. (Always with the warning 'be careful.)

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  3. It is so special for you to have such wonderful memories.When a loved one is taken from us,all we have left are the memories and if we have made good ones than we can cherish those memories.Have a lovely day.

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  4. remove the card game and playing the piano, and this is my mother to. i had to hang the clothes and iron all the flat stuff. even sheets and pillowcases and handkerchiefs had to be ironed. i was 43 when she died. i can't believe how close our stories match.. hope she shares her flowers with my mother.

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  5. Hi Cheryl: I understand so well how you miss your mom in your life. I, too, had a wonderful mom, and eighteen years after losing her I still think of her most days. Memories catch you out of nowhere and you long to see her again, sit with her and have tea, tell her about your life. I know mom watches over me and my family and probably knows before I do what's in store for me but I miss her presence, her laugh, her smile. I always think that I was one of the lucky ones to have such warm and loving memories of a mom who put family first at all times. Enjoy your memories. hugs, Deb

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  6. That poem? So true. We recently passed the five year mark and I was thinking how it really feels much more recent than that. I learned all over again that we do not get over losses; we carry on in our new normal as best we can.

    This is a beautiful, poignant tribute to your mother. She sounds like a loving, warm woman and I know that losing her that young was a great sorrow. I love that photo of her holding your little girl. She is the very essence of a loving grandmother.

    Sorry that my blog continues to give you grief. I think it's too old and needs to get the boot. Thank you for prevailing all the same. Feel better soon. You must be at the wrung out stage. Now time for regaining your strength!

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  7. So lovely to be introduced to your beloved mother, Cheryl. She sounds like a wonderful, giving, fascinating woman. I don't think we ever cease to miss our loved ones who have passed. Love goes on.

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  8. Many of the things you said about your mother could have been said about mine too...always in the kitchen, sewing at the table, always cooking and taking care of others using a wringer washer and hanging the laundry out to dry. I am sorry that you lost her so early in your life but it is quite evident that her life had a great impact on yours. We never get over losing our parents, like Vee said, we just find a new normal. I really enjoyed seeing these wonderful photos from the past. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week and stay warm!

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  9. What a lovely post, Cheryl. Your mom sounds like a hard working, yet fun loving lady. Her love of family is evident in your memories and that sweet photo of her with your daughter.
    I haven't seen that poem before, but it says is well for those of us who have lost our mothers.
    I hope your mom is receiving a large bouquet of roses for her birthday today.

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  10. Your mom sounds like she was a read jewel.
    You've done a lovely tribute post about her. Thanks for sharing your sweet memories with us.

    It's so hard to not have those we love around to give our hugs to.

    Sending you {{hugs}} and a wish for more warm memories to wrap around your heart.
    ~K.

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  11. a beautiful tribute to your mom......I so wished that I had asked more questions about my mom and dads life and written them down for my kids and grandkids to read someday. It is such a great feeling to reminisce about those things that touched our heart and to value the memories of our loved ones. I enjoyed this post....so sweet!

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  12. What sweet memories of your mother, Cheryl. I had forgotten about dampening the laundry and rolling it in a towel but I do remember the wringer washer and hanging the laundry on the line. In winter bringing the clothes in from the line was not pleasant as everything was frozen stiff so we hung it on a folding wooden rack to dry in the kitchen. Hugs. Pam

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  13. I can tell you that and your mother were very, very close and I'm so happy that you have wonderful memories of this person who is so dear to your heart.

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  14. Morning Cheryl, touching post, so heartfelt. Hugs Francine.

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  15. Sweet memories and thoughts Cheryl . . .
    A friend and I were talking yesterday of the things we wish we could ask our mother's . . .

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  16. How absolutely lovely Cheryl! Thank you so very much for sharing this with your readers! Your mother sounds like a sweet soul who loved her family very much! This reminded me of helping mother hang clothes on the clothesline and then sprinkle them and roll them up until they were ironed. Motherhood has changed hasn't it? Those were happy times and I so relate...I miss my mother every day! Big hugs to you on this day of rememberance!

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  17. Cheryl, Your tribute to your mother reminded me of mine in so many ways. The things that we learned from them. My embroidery for example is because of mine. Hanging clothes on the clothes line using the wringer washer. Did you use a wash board? I miss mine also. I enjoyed reading every word of your post. I think we all have wished we would have asked more questions then we did. We had snow yesterday and we may get more tonight. Take care. Hugs and Prayers from your NW Missouri Friend Shirley

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  18. Hi Cheryl~

    Oh my goodness, what a touching post, I am still sniffling. Your mom was an amazing woman, and I can tell that you are very much like her. I think that every generation had their trials, and laundry must have been the trial for our moms! I can remember so clearly, sprinkling the clothes, and putting them in that bag like it was yesterday. I think I may still have an old cap that we used to put on a bottle to sprinkle with. I still have my grandmother's wringer washer, and it still works! I used to wash my sons work clothes in it when he worked for an asphalt company. I've always thought it would be fun to put in my laundry area, decorated with flowers inside or something, I'm not very creative that way. Oh, and wearing pants to school was never allowed! Remember wearing those really thick tights? They were more like pants than tights, but they did keep our legs warm, and those rubber boots that went over your shoes, can you remember? Oh the memories!

    What a beautiful poem . . . I'm sure your mom is still close by, especially during those wonderful moments when you are remembering.

    Enjoy the coziness of staying in while it snows!

    Warm Hugs,
    Barb

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  19. What a special post about a special lady and time. They never really do leave us do they? They are in our thoughts and often in our mirrors. Beautiful poem.
    How often we ask ourselves, "Why didn't I ask Mom or Dad about -----?"

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  20. This is a wonderful post about your mother.

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  21. Doesn't matter how long it's been, we will always miss the parents we lost. Wonderful tribute for your wonderful mother!

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  22. This was such a heartfelt post on your sweet Mother. The things you wrote were exactly some of the things I remember about my sweet mother. She too sewed a lot and made most of my clothes. Yes, we always wore dresses to school and my Mom wore them all the time too. This post brought back some sweet memories; thanks for sharing these thoughts. You did lose your Mom at a young age. I am sure this was really hard. My Mother passed away in 2006 and I do think of her everyday. She loved roses so I really loved the poem.
    Have a blessed day dear friend and I am sending hugs your way!

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  23. It is lovely that you have such wonderful memories of your Mum even through she was taken so young. Love the Rose shot

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  24. Life can be so unfair. Your mother passed away much too young. It is obvious how much she means to you and she would be so proud of you and your family. Memories are wonderful things. I'm so glad God gave us our memories to hold in our hearts.

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  25. You did better than write a book, my dear friend. This is wonderful tribute to a remarkable lady. She sounds like everything I would imagine a dedicated wife and mother in the country would be. I would be so proud to have her as my mother and I know I would have loved to have so many of her talents and beliefs. You are one lucky girl. Thank you for sharing your memories and God bless you as you remember her with a few tears, I'm sure.

    Thanks for your comment today---you ankle injury sounds like it was bad. I see my new doctor tomorrow. I have been in increasing pain for the past few weeks and now it's keeping me up at night. There has to be an answer. I hope to get answers tomorrow. Thanks for your concern...you are so kind.

    Jane

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  26. Your Mom sounds wonderful, ALS is such a horrid disease. I think you could probably look up old weather history for the area she was born in and get a good idea what the weather was like that day:)

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  27. Cheryl, what a lovely post. Your Mom, in so many ways reminded me of my mother. They worked hard but had such a love for life. We were both so blessed. Your poem was just beautiful! And, yes I too wish I had asked more questions.

    Blessings
    Gert

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  28. A beautiful dedication to an obviously wonderful woman.

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  29. Lovely post,Cheryl. I still think of my Mom every single day... she pops into my head several times each day.

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  30. This was such a lovely post about your mother, that I wish I could have known her. She was obviously a wonderful mom.

    Hugs to you on her birthday,
    rue

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  31. This one brought tears. My dear Mother was born on January 21. I still miss her. She died in 1994. Like you, I never asked her about the day she was born and I have thought of dozens of questions I would like to ask her now. She was my biggest supporter and I could talk to her about anything. She was always on my side.

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  32. What a sweet and loving tribute to your mother, Cheryl. I also miss my mother who was with us years longer than your own, but the sadness is much the same.

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  33. Sweet post, Cheryl-I'm glad you have such wonderful memories of your mom to ease the sorrow.

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