After my dad passed away, Mom made a book about his life. It has been such a joy to have and share with our grandchildren.
When Mom first moved into the Assisted Living, in 2016 I decided to see if she would like to share some of her memories so I could make a book too.
I am so glad I had those visits with Mom! She enjoyed sharing at times but when she was experiencing some paranoia then her memories were of dark times and I felt so bad for her.
As these years have passed Mom is no longer able to bring up memories and often has a hard time putting thoughts into words.
When I was in college, we were given an assignment to choose someone in your life to make a memory box for. Well, I chose both Mom and Dad and it has little pieces of paper with my childhood memories of Mom and Dad. When I visit now, I share those with Mom, she usually has no recollection of the memory but finds great joy in hearing what a wonderful Mother she was and is.
So, for the first article of 2021 I want to share just a few of Mom’s memories that she was able to share with me back in 2016.
“I was born October 16, 1933. I had brothers Erwin, Ray and Meb as well as sister Judy waiting to welcome me. By some miracle, Mom and Dad didn’t have any more babies for 5 years and then Alma was born, 2 years later Russell and two years after Russell, Robert were born.”
“I loved my growing up years as long as Mom was home. I liked my brothers best. Ray had a bike and when he went into the service, he gave it to me.”
“I still see Mom sitting at the table making lunches for all 5 of us. She always had something good on the sandwiches and would add a cookie or something sweet. She was so good to us. Some kids at school had to have lard on their sandwiches.”
“I loved Math. Miss Gorens would give me Bible verses to memorize when I had all my work done. I just loved her.”
“My brothers were drafted when the war came, and my brother Ray was so lonesome. We wrote lots of letters. One day my mom got a phone call that Ray had been killed. Dad came to the school and brought us home and then told us. That was one of the hardest times.”
“I was able to go to High School in Thief River Falls and had to live in someone’s home. I would take care of their children and clean their home in exchange for staying there.”
“Following high school, I went on to teachers training and was assigned a school by Goodridge. I taught all 8 grades. That same year I met Harland and he asked me to marry him. So that ended my plans to teach for 20 years.”
“Soon after we were married, I became pregnant with David, two years later Lynn was born. At 8 months Lynn passed away. It was a terrible time of feeling isolated and alone. A year later Laurel was born and then our fourth baby was Peter.”
I am thankful we have this peek into who our Mom was because today, she sometimes can’t remember the names of her children. So please, take time to write down your loved one’s memories, and take pictures (Mom and I do selfies every time I visit.)
You can never have these moments back so embrace and treasure them!!