Sunday Morning

The doves are cooing and the sun is shining. A perfect Sunday morning! We have two nesting doves and they coo all day long. It is rather soothing to hear them.

Next Sunday will be Mother's Day. I always miss Mom more around this time of the year it seems. I have so many questions I wish I had asked and things I would love to tell her. I would love for her to have met our great grandkids. 

Mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer about this time in 2002. There was really nothing they could do by the time it was found. My brother and sister-in-law, my sister and her son, my husband and I decided we could share taking care of Mom so she could be at home during her last days. We would each be at Mom's for 3 days and nights,  another sibling would take over for 3 days and nights. We couldn't have done this without the help of Hospice. They were such a big help to us and Mom.  I remember one of the first things I did for Mom was paint her toenails a bright pink. I don't think she had ever had them painted before. And since it was summer her feet were out most of the time and I know she was proud of her pink toenails.

Mom was a keeper of things! She had a big sack of letters she had recieved over many, many years. Letters my Dad had written to her when we lived in IA and the farm didn't do very good that year so he came to WA to help with the wheat harvest. Mom, my brother and I took care of the farm while he was gone. My sister was a toddler then so I took care of her a lot while Mom and my brother were outside. Anyway, I sat down beside Mom's bed and read most all of the letters to her. There were many letters from her Mother and I remember Mom telling me she hadn't realized how bad her Mom had felt at the end of her life. There was letters from my brother when he was in the Army, stationed in Germany and then when he came stateside he met this cute little redhead who became my sister in law and a big part of our family. I learned things I didn't know and Mom realized how much Dad had loved her. 

Mom was a hard worker, all her life. Dad and us kids were her entire life. She loved sewing and doing craft work. Even while she was bedridden she had a few craft jobs she wanted finished so I helped her finish them. I remember sending either my brother or husband to the store to find lace paper doilies so we could finish up some angels we were working on.

I remember Mom saying that dying was taking too long. She told me I could do something about it and I said, "No, Mom, I can't." And she never said another word about that. My father had been gone for 3 years by then and she finally understood and forgave him for taking his own life. Mom passed away in early September. We knew it was happening but it was still hard to take. I know she is with Dad now, as she always was during her life. 

I had Mother's Day dinners for our family for many, many years and I miss those. I remember one Mother's Day when my Grandparents were still alive. Us women were always in the kitchen. We were sitting at our kitchen table talking a mile a minute and I got some wine out. We never had wine or anything at our dinners back then. I honestly don't know if my Grandmother had ever had a drink of alcohol in her life! But she wanted a taste of the wine, so I put some in a small glass for her. Well, she drank it in one swallow, I swear! About 5 mintues later she started fanning herself and saying how hot the kitchen was getting. We  started roaring with laughter. Good time past! If only we could go back in time and re-live some of those moments.

Mom, I miss you so much. I love you.