A Tribute to My Mom

My mom is a very spry 82 year old. She is still very active. She still cooks all her meals, I don’t mean opening a can of soup, but full blown meals. It may be meatloaf with mashed potatoes and vegetables, spaghetti and meatballs, a stuffed chicken dinner or corn beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day. The list is endless and she cooks most meals from “scratch”.

Mom still cleans her house and does her own laundry. She does not own a dryer, nor does she want one, hanging all her clothes on a line outside. She brought up five children and was a stay at home mom. She was always there for us when we got home ready to listen and maybe a snack that “would not ruin our supper”.

My mom did not have an easy childhood. Her mother, my grandmother, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when she was in her early 20’s. This was during the 1930’s and the medical field was not advanced as it is today. The medical profession did not know what was wrong with my grandmother. She was in hospitals and rest homes from the time my mother was 4 or 5 until she was 10. After many failed attempts to identify the problem, the doctors finally diagnosed her with rheumatoid arthritis and told her she would never walk again. Imagine a young child having to endure being without her mother during the formative years of her life. Her grandmother lived nearby and always helped the family as my grandfather had to work to support them.

Once I asked my mom about her childhood and her response was, “it was a very sad time.” After many years she did tell me most of the story. I know there are still things from her past that she has a hard time sharing.

She is a wonderful woman who did the best she could with the resources she had. Even though her life has not been easy, she has always been there for me and my brothers.

Today is her day. Two thousand miles separate us but I know she loves me and she knows I love her. I thank the Lord frequently for the gift of MY MOM.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

P.S. My grandma did walk again. I was blessed to have her in my life until I was 29.