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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Marriage, Mothers and Memories

Welcome to Alphabe Thursday! Let us all thank Mrs. Matlock for celebrating this Thursday treasure with us! Please stop by her blog jennymatlock.blogspot.com/ and link up to this wonderful post!

Today I am going to make the most of this marvelous post and talk to you about Marriage, Mothers and Money!

Marriage is, in my honest opinion, the most mesmerized, moment to moment best thing to do in life! I watched my own folks celebrate 47 years years of marriage before the Good Lord took my dad home. I saw my oldest sister Pat marry for life only to have her life cut short and then that of her husband. I really don't think he could live without her. I spent the greatest part of my life watching people make marriage work! It is hard work but we get good at it as the years fly by! I saw my middle brother and his wife struggle after the untimely death of their middle college aged daughter. But I saw them make the most of that marriage that was torn by death, the death of their daughter. I watched my aunt and uncle make a marvelous marriage, one free of their own children but filled with us, the nieces and nephews that they doted on! My aunt Ang was a modern woman. She was married in a gorgeous suit when she was in her mid thirties and my uncle was nearly forty. She wanted to marry at a mission in California where the swallows flock to celebrate spring and summer. But because of the strict laws of the Catholic church back then she was told "no"! Nowadays people get marred jumping out of airplanes and swimming underwater! Life has changed. I watch my oldest daughter Noelle and her hubby Roger make a marriage. They will celebrate 10 years this August! I have many girlfriends who celebrate their marriages! I have others that do not. I work with an "M" who had her divorce finalized just this week.It was a bittersweet occasion. she was married to her husband for a long, long time, 22 years to be exact My hubby watched his parents make a marriage work! We watched them together celebrate 50 years and now my husband watches his mother decline. Her body ravaged by Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Life is cruel. But we have both been blessed to watch good marriages all around. The hubby's cousin and his second wife who lost his first born daughter tragically last week talk about marriage and why their bond and their faith and their marriage is what is getting them through day by day.
Some marriage memories
With Mother's Day just a few weeks away I want to invite you all over to Mizz Mollyes blog for a super Mother's Day Swap! It is to honor your own mother. I am participating and could hardly sleep when I first signed up with McLinky! I started thinking about the woman who raised me and what a terrific person she was! My mother could talk to the pope or the head of the CIA or anyone else in between. She loved to drink beer! My mother could whip up dinner in the kitchen and get into her Sunday best for church in a few minutes! She adored aprons and hung our sheets and towels on the clothesline to dry! She wore perfume and smelled divine! My mother had 20/20 vision until the day she passed away! She was a baseball fan and left a trail of Kleenex in her path! I always said "Ma, you could not work for the FBI, they'd find you out with that trail of tissue!" She was like Hansel and Gretel leaving her tissues crumbs for the rest of us to find! I miss my mom! She was the best person ever to talk to. She lost her own dad at the tender age of 13, he died, with her older brother in a mining accident in Cripple Creek/Victor. My mom loved to dance, she said they hardly waited for Saturday to roll around because their daddy lined up his girls and they turned on the radio and danced with him! My mother was so good. She took such care of all five of her children and I remember her holding me up in the snow in the backyard after I got drunk with some girls I worked with! She held me by my belt loop and kept telling me it would be alright! She gave everyone of the kids in my family their first sneak of beer. No one I am related to killed anyone or went out on a drinking spree and everyone of my cousins told me my mom gave them their first sip of beer at her funeral! When September 11th happened and country singer Alan Jackson wrote the song "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning" I swore he was reading my mind because he wrote"Did you call up your mother and tel her you loved her?"
My mom was a strong willed woman. She wore pedal pushers and smoked. She liked her beer. She cared for everyone and no one I knew disliked my mother. Her mother was a strong willed woman too. I am wondering if that is where I got that trait! My first born daughter is a strong willed woman. Are you seeing a pattern here?But really there is nothing like a mother. My sister's were both excellent mothers and my middle sister Mary raised two of the most remarkable young women alone after a crushing divorce. I love quotes and I like this one by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis  "If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much." This is to all our mother's whether they are here with us or gone on to their eternal homes. We love you moms!
The memories

21 comments:

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

Wow - that was quite a post! I enjoyed that you tipped your hat to marriage and to your mom!

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Wonderful post! I have not been blessed with a long marriage but my parents have and my brother and sis in law have made it work. I also signed up for the swap it will be wonderful. Great M post!

Anonymous said...

Love your post, my evening is ending with a smile and a happy heart.
Blessings,
~Ronda~

Christy said...

What a great tribute to both marriages and moms - I especially liked the Jackie O quote. I think your mom must have been great fun and loved by all.

Red Couch Recipes said...

What a wonderful tribute to marriage and to you wonderful mother. Joni

GardenOfDaisies said...

What a wonderful and loving family you come from!

Short and Sweet said...

Wonderful post about marriage and your mom. You put a whole lot of love into your words as I could feel them as I read your post. Thank you for sharing.
Loretta

♥ Noelle ♥ said...

hi hun!! what a great post:) i loved what you had to say about marriage ♥ great thoughts for me to think about with being a "somewhat" newleywed:)
i'd like to join that swap; whats the blog name where I can sign up?

hugs ♥

Kat said...

I love your choices for M. Your mom sounds like she was a really neat lady and I loved the dancing story. And the Jackie O quote is perfect and so true. Have a great week. Kathy

mrs. c said...

Thanks for sharing your mom and family with us. Also thanks for the clelbration of marriage! I just celebrated my 20th anniversity with a wonderful man who at this very moment is making me steel-cut oatmeal because I just had surgery.....he is taking such good are of me!That is what marriage is all about!

Viki said...

Your mom sounds like a remarkable woman. My parents and in-laws were married for a long time. My husband and I are going on 33 years.

Chatty Crone said...

Wonderful post. Have to say I haven't seen that many good marriages so I am glad to know they exist.

And mothers - oh how I miss mine. There is nothing like a mom.

Sandie

laterg8r said...

what beautiful pics to go with your m words :D

Unknown said...

What a wonderful tribute! I love that you covered all aspects.

Jenny said...

What a magnificent testimonial to the strong women and relationships in your life.

How fortunate you are to have such role models.

I am certain you are passing all these values on to the next generations.

Thanks for this tender, beautiful and thoughtful post!

A+

BonjourRomance said...

Bonjour ANne,
What a wonderful post about the good marriages that have lasted, and the tribute to your Mother. What a blessing in this day and age.
My parents had a long and loving marriage and now celebrate in Heaven. My three sisters all have succesful marriages. I waited a long time to meet my hubby but we plan to continue the tradition (and it was definitely worth the wait)! Thanks for sharing all your family photos.
Good evening to you,
Mimi

Mary Beth @ Live. Laugh. Make Something said...

What delightful photos and stories! I, too, have signed up for the sweet Mother's Day Bottle Swap. I can hardly wait! I hope you'll drop over to see my Mini Cupcake PinCushions!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Wonderful post full of wonderful memories, Anne! The photos are all beautiful treasures.

Steph said...

I loved your post on marriage, particularly loving through the hard things in life (which marriage itself can be). I also thought your tribute to your Mom was great! She sounds like a spunky, fun, lady who lived and loved well.

Jo said...

beautiful post ... wonderful tribute to marriages and mom's ... i really enjoyed reading this wonderful post!

Betty said...

What a wonderful post. Enjoyed all the old photos too.