A Tribute for Mother's Day

I thought it would be fitting to do a "tribute to mom's post" with Mother's Day being right around the corner.

(Oh, before we get too far into this post, I should say that since most of us reading this are in the South, we all appreciate the word "Mama". Mother just ain't my style--I'm a mama kind of girl)

Many of you know (and some of you don't) that I lost my mom to cancer when I was 20--she turned 44 a few weeks before her death. (I know, I know...you're not supposed to tell a woman's age) I only noted it because I think that is SO YOUNG. I remember being probably 8 or 10 and thinking 30 was old--now that I'm knocking at the door of 30, it "ain't so old" anymore! hee-hee

Seriously though, when I was 20 and we knew that it was more than evident that Mama was going to spend her next Mother's Day in heaven (she died Mother's Day weekend, 2001), all I could think was how young she was! (amongst other things, but we'll leave it at that)

The older I get, the more of my mom's mannerisms I see in myself (& the more people tell me how much of her they see in me and how much I remind them of her). Mama was very organized and I do mean VERY. We had a weekly menu posted on our refrigerator every Sunday afternoon! Now do you see why I do a menu and make a grocery list?!?

Mama loved cookbooks--I must admit I'm a sucker for a good cookbook--I have 2 cabinets FULL of them--(hmmm...I sense another blog post about cookbooks in the future). Mama also liked to cook and bake! She was a great cook! I very fondly remember some of our family dinners and her "Cathy peas" as well as her homemade biscuits...mmmmmm...my stomach is growling! To this day, I can't make her biscuits the way she did. Must be something about the hands that made them.......

I scoured my photo albums for some pictures of my Mama and I.....and found a few....BUT...I got a new printer and can't figure out the stinkin' scanner so...you'll have to wait until next week (or until I get time to read the stupid manual) to see pictures.....sorry!

I miss Mama every day of my life.....don't think that will ever go away--Mother's Day just isn't the same without her. She wasn't here for my engagement, wedding, or my babies...but I feel her presence many times. I have my boys now to wish me a Happy Mother's Day, but I can't wait til they are really old enough to "understand" what it means! I wish many times over that I had "gotten it" years before I did so that I would've had more quality time with my Mama, but there were other plans that were greater than mine.

Some things I remember about Mama:

• Above all--her love for the Lord in every situation. I'm sure she struggled but I always saw a faithful follower.
• Her handwriting--it was PERFECT.
• Her organization skills--they were awesome.
• Her cooking--have you seen pictures of me? Yeah. The weight tells it all.
• Pictures--she was always taking them--we have very few of her in front of the camera.
• Her telling me stories of when she was younger and lived in different countries (she lived in Turkey once) and states (Texas, Florida, Montana, and a few others).
• Her sewing skills--this one I did NOT inherit.
• Love of Family--she always enjoyed getting together and making a big "to do" about family functions, Christmas especially.
• Her love of Christmas--I definitely inherited this one!
  

Before you think I'm having a pity party (which I usually do on Mother's Day) I will tell you that I have an AWESOME mother-in-law! I mean, really--who else (besides your own mother) can you call at 4:30 in the afternoon and say "whatcha cookin' for dinner? Got enough for us?" and she says "yes, come on over!"

My mother-in-law also makes sure we are always included in family plans. She is great about taking the whole family on trips and making sure that we all have a good time. My M-I-L does great Christmas shopping and always gets me things I like (Vera Bradley purses, Pampered Chef, Longaberger, etc.) ! M-I-L also is a great grandmother to my children! She really does a lot with the boys--spoils 'em rotten! I mean R-O-T-T-E-N!
Love to you J.B.! I have the BEST M-I-L!

All that to ask......What's your fondest memory of your mom? Mine is probably making root beer floats with vanilla ice-cream and an IBC Root Beer (don't be making no root beer float with ANY other brand root beer than IBC, said my mama!) Many, many, many memories of my mom..but that's a quick, short one for you....

Here's to all Mamas I know, Mamas I don't know, current Mamas, future Mamas, AND Mother-in-Laws!

~CB~