As Mom aged, she thought a lot about the important things in her life. I can remember Mom being a fanatic about having a clean house when we were growing up. She worked herself down doing housework, laundry, cooking and still maintained a full time job after her children all started school. I've often wondered where she acquired the energy to keep up with everything. As children, my siblings and I were expected to keep our bedrooms orderly and participate in household chores. As Mom grew older, however, she didn't worry as much about everything being in perfect order. She realized there were more important things.
As we grew up and married our life would change. We would have nice homes nice cars children who would go to school come home and play. No working until dark. Good food.
Alton is the father of two sons. Gertie has two daughters and a son. Elton has three daughters and a son. Myself the mother of two beautiful daughters and two sons. But the love between my sister and my two brothers is still there and will always be.
Our mother died on June 18, 1974 she was fifty six years old but had a hundred years of work and hardship on her. I guess that was the greatess [sic] loss that her children had ever known.
Time to enjoy things. Not having to worry about dusting washing cleaning and cooking. Your value changes Your outlook on life is not what you can have, but what you have had.
Sometimes we are too busy raking fall leaves to see the real beauty of them. To watch a small humming bird feed. Flying so fast that you can hardly see its little wings. To see a red bird sitting on a feeder feeding its mate. The calling of a dove this is life going on, in a world that we are all a part of. This is a part of my life that is a everyday miracle.
Because I can see and hear this. There are a lot of people that can never hear or see this not because of being deaf or blind but because they are too busy with every days life and care. To [sic] busy to take time to see real life to [sic] busy making money to buy things with that will not matter when life is gone.
I have seen a lot of people die in my time. A lot of people that didn't have time to see life. To see a reflection of a mountain in a beautiful lake. I have seen this. I have been to the highest mountains peak have seen the ocean laugh as it greets the sand on the beaches with the roar of giant waves.
I have seen the great redwood trees that reached for the sun and heavens. To walk among these gaint [sic] trees makes you feel God's hands in the sun that comes streaming through the gaint [sic] branches.
God's laughter in the crash of a gaint [sic] ocean wave. But most of all God's peace in the clear cool air of a mountain breezes. In our memories of life there is a lot of things that can never be bought or taken away.
I have always told my childrens [sic] it is not what life can do for you but what you can do with life.
While reading this part of Mom's memoirs, I reflected back to the times she and I have sat on her porch and enjoyed watching the birds feed. During spring, she placed three or four hummingbird feeders out and before long she had broods of the little birds fighting for their places on the feeders. I also thought of how much joy Mom had while on her vacations. She thoroughly enjoyed traveling and seeing new places.
Here are just a few snapshots of her while on her trips:
The West Coast
The West Coast
The Northwestern United States
Disneyworld in Florida (Mom & her friend Irene)
Beaches of the East Coast
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