On the first Monday of each month, I do a Memory Lane Monday post.  This month I’m a week late.  And yes, I know we already have TBT and FBF, but I like the sound of Memory Lane Monday.  Plus today happens to be Monday and I had a memory today that I wanted to share, so there you go.  So let’s step it up, and head down Memory Lane…

I almost didn’t write this post at all this month with everything that’s going on here.  But given the circumstances, my sweet mom has occupied my mind.  I was thinking with all the memories of Mom filling my head right now and with yesterday being Mother’s Day, I would list 10 memories I have of my mother.

 

First:

One of my very earliest memories with my mom was in Atlanta, IL.  I must have been 4 or 5.  I was about to go into town with my brothers.  I was really excited because I had a nickel, and I was going to buy CANDY!  I remember sitting on my mom’s lap holding that nickel and asking her how much candy I would be able to buy with it.  She answered, “It depends.”  I asked her what depends means, and she proceeded to explain it to me.  I know she taught me many things before that moment, but that’s the first thing I can recall her teaching me.

 

Second:

Somehow in a household with 7 children, I ended up at home with Mom all to myself one day.  Maybe I was home sick from school or something.  I don’t remember.  But Mom was setting up her ironing board in the TV room to iron while watching TV.  I can see her getting my dad’s clean, damp shirts from the refrigerator where she kept them in the vegetable crisper drawer.  She also had a bottle of water with a lid that had lots of little holes in it which she would use to sprinkle water on the shirts if they started to dry out as she ironed them.  I had my own little child-sized ironing board and iron, and I set it up alongside of her.  She let me iron my dad’s handkerchiefs while she did the shirts.  I remember her explaining to me the steps she went through to iron a shirt.

 

Three:

I recall at some point in later elementary school walking into my mom’s bedroom where she was sitting on her bed with playing cards splayed in front of her.  She would place one here, move one there, flip one over, place it, flip over one in the deck she was holding, put it down, and so on.  It all looked very mysterious to me.  I asked her what she was doing, and she answered that she was playing Solitaire.  She finished that game and then taught me how to play.  Since Mom moved here over 13 years ago, we’ve had many a game of double solitaire.  Almost every afternoon we would play, until she could no longer remember how.

 

Four:

I remember riding in the back seat of the car with my sisters and Mom passing out sticks of gum.  You didn’t get a whole stick, though.  She would tear each stick in half and give each of us a half stick of gum.

 

Five:

In the time and place that I grew up, elementary school went through the sixth grade.  You went to the junior high for seventh and eighth grade before moving on to high school.  I remember one day my mom told me I could no longer be friends with the girl who was my best friend at the time.  My sixth grade teacher Mr. Glicken had told Mom that she was not a good influence on me.  I thought it was very unfair at the time, but looking back I now know that Mom was doing what was best for me.

Six:

In high school my best friend since early junior high was struck by a car as she was riding her bike home from school.  She died in the hospital a few days later.  I was 15 at the time.  She was 16.  We were both sophomores.  I remember being in my bedroom lying face down on my bed inconsolable.  My mom came in and sat on my bed.  She rubbed my back and tried to comfort me, but I didn’t want to be comforted, so she eventually left my room.  Sometimes I wish I could turn back time to that moment, and instead of staying inside of myself, I wish I would have turned around and let my mother embrace me.

 

Seven:

Big Eagle asked me out on our first date.  He was going to take me golfing.  When he arrived at the house, I don’t recall who answered the door, but our german shepherd Bombo answered it too, and he must have thought Big Eagle looked pretty delicious because he bit him on his thigh.  My mom made him take his pants down so she could inspect the bite.  Can anyone say embarrassed?

 

Eight:

 

In 1972 Big Eagle proposed to me.  Of course, I said yes.  We decided we wanted to elope, but I just couldn’t do it without letting my parents know.  I remember going into their bedroom and telling them.  I was kind of nervous, because I know my dad wanted me to go to college, but all I wanted to do was get married.  They seemed okay with it, though, except my mom was not really happy with the eloping idea.  She asked, “But don’t you want to get married in the church?”  My parents had eloped, so I thought they would both be fine with that part of the plan.  I mean after all, they wouldn’t have to pay for anything.  Yet I could tell it was important to Mom.  So we did have a small wedding with just immediate family.

 

I know I said I was going to list 10 things, but it’s going to be just these eight.  You see, I had just written the eighth memory when my mother took her last breath.  It’s 4:00 in the morning now.  My mother died at 11:40 p.m. on May 13th as I was typing these memories.  It was an hour and a half later when the hospice nurse arrived, so the official time of her death is listed as 1:20 a.m. on May 14th, but I know that’s not accurate.  She was taken from the house about 20 minutes ago.  I was determined to finish this post before trying to get some rest.  God bless you, Mom, and rest your soul.  I’ll always love you.