Its Mother’s Day weekend! I love these holidays. Well, except for the fact that every restaurant in town will have a 3 hour wait. However, I love these days because I have the most fantastic parents and am always up for a way to say “Thank You” again for teaching, guiding and loving me. I am also very blessed to have married into a wonderful family. So of course, I’m taking this “Gratitude Friday” post to send a message to all the wonderful women in our life.
1. Quilts – My dad’s mother, Mamaw, was a talented quilter. When I graduated from high school and was working on decorating my very first apartment, I knew I wanted something she created to be with me. I asked her to make me a quilt. Now granted, the one she created was mauve rose on one side and covered in pictures of cats on the other. I hate mauve and I hate cats but I think that only adds to the “grandmother” feel of the quilt. And I know she made it with love. I’ve had it with me from that first apartment in Auburn at age 18 until today in our 3rd house in our 7th year of marriage and almost 13 years since it was sewn for me.
2. Leaves – Chris’ Grandmother Helmbold has a couple of trees in her yard. It more closely resembles “Redwood National Forest” but that’s not the point. For years during Thanksgiving, the sisters, husbands and cousins would bravely endure hours of raking leaves while dinner was cooking inside. It was family bonding at its best…or its worst depending on your perception. It was certainly a rite of passage for those of us interested in joining the family. Now one of my favorite things is seeing Grandmother and getting a hug. She fit rights underneath my chin. It was worth the raking to get the Grandmother.
3. Kitchen Chair – My mother’s mom, Grandmother, loved pears and cheese. She would sit at the same chair in front of the bay window in mom’s kitchen making pears and cheese as her contribution to holiday suppers. Mom would cook and I would listen to them talk. I can still hear them talking about school and their students or Grandmother saying “Oh Sandra” as she opened her Christmas gifts each year. No one ate the pears and cheese that I can remember but she made them nonetheless. Didn’t matter. We just wanted her in that chair talking with us. Sure do miss her.
4. Inky – Chris’ dad’s side of the family loves to tell stories. They’ll sit for hours and tell story after story after story. It took some getting used to for me, I must admit. We started to joke that we should just start numbering them so each person could call out a number and we’d all laugh. Never caught on though. The best part about story telling is that I get to know Grandmother even though she’s no longer with us. I am grateful we were able to spend some time together and I can tell you she was a wonderful woman. Funny and firm and loving and smart. So I say tell another story about Inky the dog. I’m learning more about her every time.
5. Scrapbooks – Chris knows in case of a fire he is to grab very little except my scrapbooks. Of course, at this point, it would take him two trips to get them all out of the house. He could do it. He’s pretty quick. Those scrapbooks are the story of our life and it’s a hobby I picked up from my mother-in-law. She was a scrapbooker when we met almost 10 years ago and she helped me get started on my first book. I am now working on book 7 so it’s a hobby that stuck. Scrapbooking is something we share and I think it’s pretty special. I know plenty of women who have nothing in common with their mother-in-law. Some don’t even get along but I am blessed to have a wonderful friend in Martha.
6. Telephones – In all honesty, I had a very hard time deciding what “thing” to be grateful for with my mom. I considered seat belts, spinning, letters, Sandi Patti, cleaning, college, blue hydrangeas and a million other things that remind me of my mother every day. I selected telephones because since the first night in my apartment in Auburn, they have been our life-line. My mom and I have always been close. In college, we had one night a week when I would call her to talk. We still talk at least once a week. Sometimes it’s a brief call while we are stuck in traffic. Other times it’s a longer call when we’ve both got an hour or so to catch up. Through all these talks she’s always encouraged, supported and loved me. She cries when I cry and laughs when I laugh. No matter how long the call or how long it’s been since the last one, it’s always nice to hear her voice.
I hope our grandmothers and mothers know how much we love and miss them. Happy Mother’s Day to all! Love Chris & Robin
I miss grandmother, too. I don't have as vivid memories as you do, though, but I can still remember her voice. I can't imagine what'd be like to lose a parent.
ReplyDeleteWe missed y'all Sunday. Even though y'all been gone a long time, there still a feeling of absence.
Liked the post.
- Adam