Friday, May 6, 2011

Remembering My Mother




This is a repeat of a post I wrote a little over a year ago on what would have been my mother's birthday. It kept coming to my mind as I thought about her this year with Mother's Day coming up, so I am sharing it again in her honor.





My mother in about 1960




It was the summer of 1960, the summer I turned 13. I went several days a week to a swim club to meet my friends. My mother drove me there and picked me up every time I went. I would go across the street to a toy store to use the phone to call my mother when I was ready to go home and wait there for her to pick me up. The owner of the store was nice to me. He made me feel grown up. He talked to me and said nice things. I started swimming and hanging out with my friends less and hanging out at the toy store longer before I called my mother.



At some point during the summer toy store owner asked me if I wanted to work for him there a few hours a week. I asked my mother if I could and she said no. She told me that I could not go to the toy store any more to use the phone. I was mad. I thought she was being unfair. I wrote "I hate Mother" on pieces of cardboard and put them all over the house. She turned them all over and wrote "I love Jeanie" on the other side and didn't come close to changing her answer.



My mother never went into the toy store, never met the owner who was nice to me, but she knew. He was being nice to me for a reason. He wanted me to work in the store for a reason. His reasons were not good. It was not until I looked back on the toy store owner's behavior years later that I realized what my mother knew when I was 13.



This Mother's Day my mother would have been 97 years old. She died at 51 when I was 18. I didn't get to have her long enough, but I was lucky to have her as long as I did.

22 comments:

  1. Such an awful age to lose your mother...so many questions that never get answered...so sorry...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mother's are so smart and we don't realize it until we get older. Sandie

    ReplyDelete
  3. You look like your mother. What a sweet memory. I love that she wrote "I love Jeanie" on the back of each note. I bet you miss her.
    Happy Mothers Day on Sunday Jeanie! I hope your kids will spoil you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your mother was a very wise and cautious mother. I'm so sorry you had to lose her too soon, but what a blessing you had her for the years that you did. She was very beautiful and so very loving. I agree with Betty; I can see the resemblance. This is a beautiful tribute, Jeanie.

    ReplyDelete
  5. As mothers we know to trust that God given 'gut' intuition we are bestowed. I'm so happy that your sweet mother trusted and stood firm on hers.

    Ya notice that your mother becomes smarter as you get older??? Just sayin'....

    God bless ya dear friend and have a marvelous Mother's Day weekend! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great post and worth the repost. 18 is way to young to loose your Mom. She was wise. In those days there was not constant media about stranger. I think I was watched over by angels... I was always interested in men. My Dad died when I was 3 and I had a crush on everyone from the store man to the school janitor. Yikes!
    I missed commenting on the last post. I am so clueless about it that what I have to say would be no help....but I actually found myself looking at Borders for that Book. I also need help with my iphoto. I wonder if there is a book for that (o: I plan on reading all you comments to see what I can learn. I should put a picture of me that is more of a close up. I like the picture you have (o:

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes, I remember reading about this. She had the wisdom that as kids we don't recognize. Her replies to your cardboard messages were evidence of that wisdom. God bless her, and I hope that all your good memories make you smile this Mother's Day.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bless her heart...she was showing her love through her protective ways! How wonderful to have a mom that cared so much! (I had a good mom too)

    Sometimes our loving Lord says no to our requests too. And we often don't realise it is for our own good. (:>)

    That is so sad that you lost your mom at such a young age. Have you had other women in your life since then who have been blessings in your life Jeanie? How about Grandmas?

    ReplyDelete
  9. I do remember reading this before; I think your mom was a very wise woman in how she protected you from this store owner. It is sad you only had her for those first 18 years of your life.

    I hope you have a good Mother's Day Jeanie!

    betty

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mothers know best!
    You look a lot like her in that picture!

    ReplyDelete
  11. God bless your mother! Happy Mothers Day!

    ReplyDelete
  12. At 13 years old, I would never have understood, either. What a blessing for you to have her as long as you did. I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is a wonderful tribute to a wise and loving mother. I'm sorry you lost her at such a young age. Happy Mother's Day to you.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your mother was so wise and loving. Writing "I love Jeanie," on the back of the cardboard says it all. I'm sorry you lost her so early in your life, but how blessed you were to have her all your childhood.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your mother died much too young. Her writing "I love Jeanie" on each of your messages was an incredibly wise and loving response to your messages of youthful rebellion. It's a great example of how to model good behavior and show unconditional love.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your mother sounds like a wise woman, taking care of you and allowing you to resent being restrained and I bet she knew that some day you would figure out why she protected you. And you did.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jeanie, and I thought I was the one who lost a mother way too young at 25, when she was 57. I don;t have any siblings and have always felt so close to my mom, that I can relate to your story. My mom died of cancer.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great post. Mother's really do know best. My mother died when I was 22, I am sorry I had not yet figured out how great a Mom she was. I don't think you really get that until you are a Mom also.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Mother's just KNOW eh?
    I'm glad your Mother knew.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Your mom was way to young to pass and you were way to young to lose her. I'm sorry.

    Your mom was beautiful and obviously VERY smart. It's nice to know that she had your back.

    xo jj

    ReplyDelete
  21. A very wise woman your mother was...and loving too as shown by the way she turned your nasty little hate notes into expressions of her love for you. I lost my mom when I was 19 and I always regret that I did not get a chance to form an adult friendship with her. Most of my memories of her are mother/child ones where I was probably not very understanding of her reasons for saying no to things I wanted to do...now, as a mother myself, thing have more clarity and I know where she was coming from.

    ReplyDelete