Today, I'm missing my mom. So, I got out the photo album I made of her to take some time to think of her on Mother's Day.
This is my favorite picture of the two of us. I spent a lot of time on her lap, being spoiled and cuddled and no matter how old I get, I won't forget that feeling. There is nothing like a warm, comforting lap to make you feel wonderful. I'm all the time trying to get anyone sad to sit on my lap for a hug. I tried to convince Beth, just the other day when she was feeling emotional.
In the library, I keep a display of photos of my mom and grandma. This is another favorite, of us with my sisters at my wedding. I think it is the only photo I have of all of us together.
No, maybe THIS is my favorite! It was such a fun day. But then, any day with my sisses and mom was a blast. We'd go junking, out to lunch, or just sit and talk and drink coffee around the kitchen table. And laugh. My mom loved being silly and laughing.
She was the kind of mom who would bake fresh apple dumplings while I was in school so that when I got home, I'd walk into a house that smelled like cinnamon.
She could sew anything. If I pointed to a dress in a magazine, she could whip it up with no pattern. Plus make a matching dress for my Barbie. Of course, her matching skills could get carried away. I remember one time when mom made matching blue gingham dresses for herself, me, my doll and a shirt to go with it for my dad.
She was an amazing quilter. But I think that her favorite part of making them was the math and the skill involved, not as much as the beauty of the creation. She was a perfectionist with her needles and took great pride in what she did. The artistic part was just a by-product of her work. I don't even know if she realized how gorgeous they were, she was so interested in the tiny stitches in the "ditch".
(This is a watercolor I did of her. The background is a pink and white log cabin quilt that she made for me, and she is wearing a necklace that I made for her. After she died, I hung the necklace on the frame)
She was a carpenter too. When I was in my twenties and homeless, she took me and the boys in to live with her. One weekend while we were away, she built an entire play fort for the kids as a surprise. We got home to see this giant, wooden structure that she handcrafted in TWO days with no plans. She had a sunning deck on the top for me, and a slide and swing for the boys. We all used the slide together, and it was super fast because she topped it with a floor vinyl scrap sprayed with silicone.
I got my love of horror movies from her. We'd stay up till midnight every Friday to watch the late night scary shows and she'd always jump up and scare me at the most tense moments. But I knew that it was just fun, not real and we'd laugh about it. This is a lesson that has kept me brave all my life, knowing that you need to look for the fun or the happiness that is hidden in any situation, no matter how frightening it may seem.
My love of laughter came from her too. She wasn't always appropriate or politically correct, and I'm not either. We both like to see things from an irreverent angle.
Mom wasn't perfect, and went through some rough spells. She didn't always have the best taste in men and we had our arguments over the years. But who wants perfect? My mom was interesting, warm, funny, slightly crazy, very talented, and a hard, hard worker. And loved her daughters more than anything in the whole world.
And I miss my mommy. And I always will.
Yep, you express all our feelings.
hugs on this Mother’s Day,
Gerry
What a wonderful tribute to your mom. Happy Mothers Day Karla.
o-k so you made me cry too. I always thougth she was the prettiest lady ever and so much fun. I loved staying with her when I was young, she always made everyone feel special.
Beautiful Karla. I am crying and I just made Katie get the scanner ready to show me how to use it. Can you believe I don’t know? I lost my Mom when I was eighteen and miss her forever. I especially love the picture of you at her bedside when she was so ill. You are holding her hand and I know that was reassuring to her. Thanks, Karla.
Hugs,
Suz
Oh cripes, you’ve got me crying again. I wish I’d had a chance to know your Mom.
When I stayed in the library, I loved looking at all your family pictures, trying to match faces to names.
What a beautiful tribute to your sweet Mom. Now I know where you get those wonderful qualities you have. Happy Mothers Day Karla.
Beautiful post Karla! I can so relate to it, happy mother’s day to you! Mine was great!
Beautiful tribute to your Mother, Karla! No wonder you are so special, you got it from your Mom.
Happy Mother’s Day, sweet friend!
hugs,
Sherry
A lovely stroll down a fairy’s memory lane. That you are living such a full and fun life, most if it directly influenced by your mother, is the best tribute of all. Happy Mothers Day, Karla!
Such a beautiful and heartfelt post. Thank you for sharing such a personal story.
Lots of love,
Holly
darnit…hard to type through the tears. My mom has breast cancer and while she is okay now and will be for a while, it will not always be so. I cannot imagine llife without her, but reading your post lets me know I will be okay when the time comes.
I just know you had the most loving and wonderful mother because that is who you are. I really loved hearing about her. I know how much you miss her, especially on a day when we are all thinking of our moms. How luck you were to have her!
Awwww…that was so sweet Karla. Your mom was beautiful.
Happy Mother’s Day!
I love your beautiful post and tribute to your Mother. She sounds like an amazing lady. I miss my Mom too.
hugs
Sissie
Karla;
I miss your mom too! She alwys like me better than Rich! HEE HEE! She was always so good to me! Thanks for always sharing her with me! You all were very blessed. Just like you are a wonderful blessing to your family!
Randy-baby bro
I’m with you there. Missing my Mom too.
Hope you had a good day despite this.
Melinda
Karla, your column was so poignant. Today was the first year of my life that I didn’t buy my Mom a Mother’s day card. My Mom just died two months ago, and when I walked past the rows of Mother’s Day cards in the store, it hit me hard. She lived to be 91, God bless her, and God bless your mom…she sounds like she was a gem. And there’s not a thing wrong with a little “inappropriateness” every once in a while. Patty in Kansas
Hi Karla, wonderful story about your mom,so now we know where you get your talent from, and Happy Belated Birthday!!
Celeste, victoriantailor.com
Beautiful post, Karla. I wrote about missing my mom on Mother’s Day, too, on my blog. It will be 20 years this June that she’s been gone and for some reason it’s it me hard..feels like she died just last week. Do you go thru that?
I love your idea of making a photo book of her..I think I’ll do that too..it may help me thru the grieving process (again!)
Blessings,
Myrna
Beautiful, poignant, relatable. Thank you for your deeply personal, and beautifully written, post. My mother and I never had a relationship to speak of at all until I was 36. Of course I would change the past if I could. On the other hand, I am stronger, wiser, and more compassionate BECAUSE of her failings. And for all her mothering flaws, not only has she learned from her mistakes, she is the most extraordinary woman I have ever known. I wish I could have more of her virtues. I love and adore her with all my heart. Is she a perfect mother? No; neither am I. Few, if any of us, had one. But if we were lucky, very lucky,
we had mothers who had amazing qualities we could learn from and emulate. At the very least, we had a woman who gave us a most precious gift: life.
What a wonderful tribute to your beautiful Mom.
Hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day.
What a beautifully written tribute to your mother, Karla! I’m not surprised to learn that she was talented, nurturing, and full of good humor. Your watercolor of her is lovely, too. What a nice memento, with the necklace you made. If you have a moment, I’d love for you to learn about my mom, too (stop by my blog). I think many of us have interesting backgrounds.
Oh, boy. Sniff. I’m sorry your Mom is gone. This is a lovely tribute to her. I sense how it warms you to recall your time with her. I’m am ever so lucky my mom is still with me. She is my anchor. Sending you a big hug. ps I love to pull my young family members into my lap. The youngest are now 13 so these moments are rare, and precious.
Beautiful…..I miss her so much also….I still can’t drive by her house without tearing up. Love you~
How beautiful! Thank you for sharing! Your mom would be proud!
Your mother sounds quite as amazing as you are — and it looks like the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. What wonderful photos and experiences you share! This is a magnificent tribute, Karla. It makes me smile and yes, even tear up, too.
Thank you for sharing your Mom story.
I have found by this age, there are no perfect
Mother’s…just loving hearts that tried, and
for some, are still trying.
Karla, your mom sounds absolutely perfect. You are a lucky gal to have had such a loving upbringing and many memories to cherish. It seems that you have your mom to thank for your wonderful talents… every time you paint or create something beautiful, pays another tribute to her. Thanks for sharing with us! Happy belated Mother’s Day! 🙂