I do!
“Who loves their mother?” is a question that my mother used to sing to us when we were very young, as she’d be getting us dressed, or making our supper, or wrapping us in a fluffy towel after bath time.
She would sing that line and then we’d sing, “I do!” in reply. It was a bonding, loving, cheerful little moment during the course of a very busy day.
If you’re a regular reader, you may remember that in April, I wrote a post for my father on his birthday (Click here to see it.).
Today is Mum’s birthday and I’d like to dedicate this one to her!
It’s almost impossible to describe my mother in the short space of a blog post. If I were to give her a nickname, it would have to be “Super Mum”!
Ladies of her generation didn’t have the luxury of choices that we have today. She married at 20, was a mother at 21, and has spent her life taking care of her family – not an easy task with six kids, including a set of twins!
She did this during a time when the job was even harder than it is now – especially in her early years of motherhood. There were no microwaves, no dishwashers, no clothes dryers, and no permanent press. She’d iron for hours to have our school uniforms ready every week. That pile of ironing, alone, would be enough to wilt a mom in today’s world.
With eight people to feed, every meal was a production! Imagine something as simple as making pancakes. How many would you have to cook to satisfy 6 kids and 2 parents? Then there were all the dishes and laundry and well, you get the picture. She has worn every hat imaginable: peacemaker, cheerleader, cook, nurse, bookkeeper, maid, laundress, secretary, friend.
My mother has nurtured her children in such a way that each of them feels loved and cherished. She continues that tradition with her grandchildren and will have been married to their grandfather for 59 years in September!
She’s the original inspiration for my love of crafting, and to this very day, I marvel at her unique ability to come up with a perfectly soothing response, whenever I mention something that’s worrying me. She’s smart and brave and funny. In short, she is amazing!
I love you a million trillion. 🙂