My Mom's illness took her away just at the time in our lives when we both were appreciating each other the most. The miles had separated us for a few years and we were finally starting to get to know each other as adult women and not as mother and daughter. Sadly she slipped away far too soon. I often wonder what she would have been like at 70, 80 or even at 90 -- which was as long as her own mother had lived. Would her beautiful dark hair have turned white? She hardly had a gray hair when she left me. Unanswered questions that I shouldn't dare ask, but I do.
I think I was quite lucky to have had such wonderful, strong women in my life. My grandmothers were both true 'Pioneer Women' or maybe 'Prairie Women' is more accurate. They were the typical farmers wife in the 1930's in the prairie states of the Midwest. They did all the things in the poems below -- baked, cooked, cleaned, quilted, gardened and mostly without the modern conveniences of today. I want to share a few family photos and some poetry I came across that reminds me of my own Mother and Grandmothers.
art by Edith Holden |
Grandmother's
Recipes
Her
cookies are the best ones made;
No one can
match her lemonade;
She cures
the best of country ham
And makes
delicious berry jam.
A better
pie no one can make,
Or even
touch her chocolate cake.
Her
pickles are so crisp and nice;
Her
peaches are just right with spice.
And when I
ask her recipe,
She shakes
her head and smiles at me,
"Oh,
I just guess at it, my dear."
And now it
seems to me quite clear,
One things
that's used, all else above --
Her main
ingredient is love.
Esther
L. Dauber
Mom at Graduation Me & Mom Before marriage she worked as a secretary
Old Quilt
Like
swift-winged swallows, her small hands flew,
Dipping
and darting the bright thread through,
Over and
under the steel flashed true--
Silent
staccato and constant rhyme.
And, oh,
I wonder -- did she divine
That the
threads would hold, and the quaint design
Should
someday rest on a bed of mine,
Bridging
the mystical gulf of time?
Betty Cornwell
Art by Edith Holden |
Memory Garden
Lengthening shadows bring memories
Of days that have passed us by;
And I think of time and I think of life,
And I sometimes wonder why
That time can't be stayed and enjoyed without loss
As the sun and earth and sky.
and the more I think, the more I am sure
That nothing can ever be lost,
That time is the garden of memory
And life is but part of the cost.
So we trade our lives for those memories
And we live each golden day,
And the flowers we grow in our garden
May have petals bright and gay,
Or they may be dark and depressing things
If we live our lives that way.
So each one may choose and invest his time,
For time is a part of the cost;
And each one must live with his memories
For nothing can ever be lost.
Robert M.
Clarke
Here is something dear to my heart. I found this poem in my Mom's things a year or so after her death when I was sorting through a box. Here it is pasted in my journal.
It's a poem by Longfellow, written in her own hand.
Thank you Mom for this wonderful gift!
Beautiful post. I love the poems and old photos. I often have dreams like the one you described. I look upon them as "visits" so we can remember happier times. Probably they were very happy years in your mom's life. xo
ReplyDeleteThanks Barbara, I love the way you describe them as "visits", that is truly the way it seems.
DeleteI'm glad your Mom visits you in your dreams. That bond endures always.
ReplyDeleteI love the poems and old photos as well as your memories of your mom. Thank you for sharing them with us. I loved mine, and she was always my biggest fan. My grandmother outlived my mom, too. We will be with them again one day, and this time it will last for eternity. I look forward to that day. Happy mother's day. ~♥
ReplyDeleteMy mother also died at a relatively young age. I loved seeing your photos of yours,and the hand written keepsake is something to treasure.
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone! Sulky no matter how old you are it is hard to lose your mom. :( Looking at the photo again of me and my mom, I notice she doesn't look particularly happy. I think she was just tired, being a farm wife is not an easy job. I love the note I found, her hand writing was so pretty. Not like my cat scratch!
DeleteThis was a beautiful post. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day.
Love,
Kay
This is a very touching post. Those photos are so beautiful. I'm sorry that you lost your mom much too early, but at least she left behind wonderful memories for you to cherish.
ReplyDeleteThis was such a special story, and it brought tears to my eyes, as I lost my mom too. I could totally relate to what you said about our grandmothers who baked, cooked, and quilted. I just saw my mother-in-law today and she was showing me old photos of the family that went back so long ago. Your first poem was so special, and the pictures are a treasure. Thank you for this wonderful post today.
ReplyDelete~Sheri at Red Rose Alley
This post had me tearing up...what a special way to remember your Mom. Our Moms are really extraordinary aren't they? They definitely hold a special place in our hearts...and always will. Thank you for sharing your story and images.
ReplyDeleteWow..what a super beautiful tribute..and so deeply heart-touching..thankyou for taking me on a meditative journey of poems and memories ..love and beauty!
ReplyDeleteHUgs
Victoria
What a beautiful remembrance of your Mom Diane - I loved the whole post - I'm so glad you included the personal photos, the poems are all so special (I think I need to copy them off and keep them somewhere) and the note in your mom's handwriting at the end is such a lovely keepsake. I also dream of my mom sometimes - in the dream I know I shouldn't be able to talk to her but I don't know why and it is only when I wake up that I remember.
ReplyDeleteThank you again to everyone that visited and left comments and shared about your own Mothers and Grandmothers. It is always wonderful to read your thoughts about my posts. I am glad we could all take some time to remember those wonderful Mothers who have passed on to that enchanted land, and to recognize all of the incredible Mothers who are with us still! Happy Mother's Day to all of you dear Moms out there!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tribute to your mother....must admit I got a little teary-eyed! Hope you had a good Mother's Day today, I am lucky I spent the afternoon with my Mom...at the Casino, she just loves the place. She won a couple of bucks, I didn't win a cent! Hugs, Diane
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful post. I also dream about my mum and dad and always wake up feeling that I have just been talking to them. Sometimes I'm a small child in the dreams but other time's, I'm me - as I am now, but they are the age they were when they died. I always feel comforted after one of those dreams – or maybe I should call it a visit.
ReplyDeleteA touching post and beautiul tribute to your mum. I love the handwritten note, something to cherish forever :)
ReplyDelete