relationships

Mother’s Day 2015

1st row Kathleen Holdaway, Ellie Blizzard,Johnny Bell2nd John a0002        Kathleen Holdaway in flowered dress0002 parents wedding pic

mother  Mother in her yard

 

surprise

As a Mother’s Day tribute, I am printing pictures made over the course of Mother’s life.  She is the tiny blonde child in the oldest picture and the lovely woman easily identifiable in the rest.  I can only say she is the finest woman and the best mother I have ever known.  I love you Mother.

 

 

The Things We Do For Our Kids! Guest Post By Cordelia’s Mom

Cordelia CardI am so proud to that Cordelia’s Mom did this Guest Post for Mother’s Day.  Please check out her lovely blog.  You will love it as well.

It was the mid-1950’s.  I was in first grade.

Mother’s Day was approaching, and my teacher decided to have us all make noodle necklaces for our moms.  She brought in a variety of dry noodles, along with string and water paints – and wrapping paper.  I was so proud of my creation!  Mom was going to love  it!

On Mother’s Day, I watched my mother open her precious gift. She oohed and aahed, and put the necklace around her neck.  I was so happy to see her wear it that day – I thought it was the most beautiful jewelry she ever had.

My mother didn’t work (back then, few did). Her only recreation was going bowling once a week in a league with other mothers.

Her annual bowling banquet was the week after Mother’s Day.  I watched my mother dress in her most beautiful (to me) outfit, high heels and all.  As she started to reach toward her jewelry chest, I told her she should wear the necklace I made because it was better than anything she had in that jewelry chest.  And she put that necklace on and left the house for her banquet.  I was so proud!

Fast forward approximately 25 years.  I was now a young mother whose girls often brought me hand made gifts.  One Sunday, I was visiting Mom, and we got to discussing little girls and how to raise them.  The subject of the noodle necklace came up.  I chuckled and told Mom that I was sorry I made her wear that necklace to her banquet, and that I now understood that she probably took it off as soon as she was out of eyesight.

There was a silence as my mother thought fondly back to that day.  Then, she told me:

“No, I didn’t.  I wore it all evening and told all the other mothers that my little girl made it for me.”

And that’s how I learned to be a mother. Mom was tough when it was called for, but she loved her kids and made sure that we all knew that.

Mom once read about a father who told his child, “You are my favorite, but don’t tell your brothers and sisters because it would hurt their feelings.”  After the old man died, the kids were comparing notes and discovered that he had made that statement to each and every one of them.  Mom thought that was a wonderful way to make a child feel special – and while neither she nor I ever tried it with our own kids, we both understood the philosophy behind it, and tried to love each child in the way that child needed to be loved.  I know she succeeded; I hope I did, too.

Happy Mother’s Day!  If you have children, give them hugs from me.  If your mother is still alive, give her a kiss on her aging cheek.  And if you are a mother, may you be showered hugs, kisses and homemade gifts from your own children.

Thanks, Linda, for allowing me to guest post for you today.  I will hold you to your promise to reciprocate on my blog!

I love to hear from my readers.  You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com.

Image by Cordelia’s Mom

Girl’s Night Out

Bill 2image imageimage I am very fortunate to come from a close family with three sisters and one brother.  The girls get together periodically for a girl’s night out.  For some reason, my brother, bows out on our girl’s night out.  We gathered this time in honor of Mother’s birthday and Mother’s Day.  In the second picture back left is me , 2nd daughter, back right, Phyllis eldest daughter, bottom left Mother, bottom center, Connie 4th daughter, bottom right Marilyn the youngest. In the third picture, Mother is reacting to being kissed by Marilyn’s little dog.My brother Bill is pictured with my Mother in the top picture. In the fourth picture, a dear family friend, Elaine, joins us.  We had a wonderful night, laughed till we were exhausted, and enjoyed every minute together.

Kissing Cousins

imageBud and I were discussing family relationships with my little old Cousin Kat from a small village in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  She was born a Perkins, married a Perkins, and explained there was another group of Perkins living in the same small area, explaining they were all unrelated.

“Weren’t you and your husband and the other Perkins family at least distantly related?”

“Oh no.  We are all descended from different brothers.”

“Oh.”

Cookies for Peace

imageBud went on a diet.  This means he’s polished off everything  easy to grab in the pantry so never plans to eat again.  After forty-five years, I know his habits.  Trying to forestall a late-day panic, I asked early in the day if he’d like me to make something light.  I was thinking, fruit salad, jello with fruit, something like that. “No, I am on a diet.”

He went all day till he caved about five,  Dinner was pinto beans with lean pork over brown rice, a nice salad, and cornbread.  Dinner again at seven with pinto beans, pork, rice, cornbread, but to cut calories, no salad.  About eight, he jumped like he’d been poked with a hot-shot, exclaiming proudly “I know what I want! Tea cakes!”  You’d have thought he was an astrophysicist with a new theory,

Deep in WordPress, I’d already settled for the evening. “I asked you earlier today if you wanted me to make something and you said ‘No.’.”

“But you didn’t say anything about teacakes.”  This could end peacefully only one way.  He said he’d help.

He got all the stuff out.  I measured and put them in the bowl as he told me about a dozen things I was doing wrong.  I ignored him.  I’m the best cook I know.  In about ten minutes the cookies were done.  There are four of them left.  He will probably be on a diet till about three.  If you hurry, you can get here while the coffee’s still hot.

Surprise

I need to change my expectations.  Bud and I have been married a long,long time.  He just called me out to the shop to see a Big Surprise.  I was somewhat caught up in it since I had asked him to do a number of things for me.  He had cleaned off his fly tying bench and installed some repurposed speakers.  I couldn’t spot the surprise.  Where would a person ever get the idea a surprise was for them?  I need to work on myself.

Charity Begins at Home

It is a bad idea for me to carry cash.  If someone comes by raising money to treat nail fungus in chimeric tigers in Bangladesh, I’m in.  Someone near and dear to me balances me out very well.  When I was recently gathering up donation items for hurricane victims in Timbuktu to take to a drive at work, he came through and did a last minute rescue of Continue reading →

Magic Circle

Magic circle0002

Repost of earlier post:

Shay woke early between Kay-Lonnie and Lena but their eyes were already open, waiting for her. They never wiggled till she woke, seeming to breathe the same air, thinking the same thoughts.   Her big sister Susie pulled the quilt over her curly head on the other side of the big bed, grumping about Shay’s cold feet.  Continue reading →