Condolences

1. Patti Sofia says

   January 11, 2014 at 11:09 am

   Growing up I felt that my mom could do anything and therefore so could I. Kroger never had a better head cashier in her younger days.
   She loved milk chocolate, not dark! Absolutely not wear the color pink, she didn’t like the way her skin looked against it. Always gave each of us a small fruitcake for Christmas..she liked fruitcake, not us. Counted steps and other things, just something she did, she told me. Was an excellent artist, a trait passed on to my brothers and sisters, not to me though. Taught me the value of using useful things and not wasting. Had the most incredible vegetable garden for many, many years. (I hated working in it, but I appreciate what it took to keep it going and feed our family.) She taught herself all of that with the help of the Farmers’ Almanac and Sterling Seed & Feed in Maryville. Our dad would bring home bushels of fruits and vegetables and mom would can or freeze them all…we helped too. Made fabulous pickles that Vlasic would be proud of. Even accidentally (so she said) made wine from grape juice when the seal popped from the fermentation. She could drive anything…even a bulldozer and could wield a rotor-tiller into submission one-handed. I watched her put my older brother David into his place when he smarted-off to her so I never did!!! I saw how she loved my sisters and other brother as each came home when they were born. Always with a smile on her face as they nursed or were bottle fed, didn’t matter, same smile.
   She wanted to be an RN and although she didn’t go back to school until later in life, she did it!
   She loved my dad so much. He would bring her flowering plants that she put in the yard, perennials which are still growing today, never annuals I noticed. I watched her heart break when my dad died and a light dim in her eyes when she told me that ’35 years with him was not enough’. I agree.
   There’s an old saying about when one person leaves your life it’s so another can enter. Not long after my dad was gone, a lifelong friend of my mom came to call. Jim lit up my mom’s eyes again and I am so grateful for that. He loved my mom back with they were just kids themselves, so they had a whole history to remember, explore, discuss and laugh about. He took her dancing again and just brightened her world. I love that he did that. He always wanted to marry her even way back when. They married and had so much fun. He promised to take care of her and he did in many, many ways, even after he was gone. A true gentleman of his word taking care of his lifelong lady.
   When I smell Chanel No5, taste chocolate covered cherries, touch lemon verbena, see the rain coming from the look of the leaves or hear Dean Martin sing anything, I know my mom is reminding me of some of the things she told me she loved. I miss my mama and my daddy and all that they were together. I always will. Thanks for listening. Love to you all.