Wednesday, April 22, 2009

IN MEMORY OF MOM (APRIL 22, 1926 - JANUARY 10, 2005)

Today, April 22, would have been my mom's 83rd birthday! Mom died in 2005, and I remember when Jane (my sister) called to tell me. I wish the phone could ring now, and it would be Mom calling just to talk, the way she often did. That's one of the things I remember about her. I remember when we were little she used to tell us about a time when she worked in Indianapolis. She loved pretty clothes and pretty things. She used to narrate pretend fashion shows for me. I remember her love of reading, which she definitely passed on to all of us. I remember buying her a set of teddy bear salt and pepper shakers which are now in my kitchen instead of in the corner shelf in hers. I remember how mad she would get when my cat would drag dead mice onto her porch or steps. She threatened Muffy's life, but her bark was worse than her bite. I remember when she learned to drive. I remember when she wore a red dress to my sister, Julinda's wedding, and she danced, too. The red dress and the dancing were things she really wanted; dreams, perhaps, or rekindled memories. I also remember her wonderful meatloaf and fried chicken, better than any I've ever had.
She truly loved the beauty of her lilac bush and her forsythia bush. Even though Mom's circumstances were never as beautiful as she would have liked, she endured them anyway! I know that she really wanted each one of us, her seven children. I was not my mom's favorite child (she would have denied that she had any) but I know she loved me! She always rooted for the perceived underdog, who had her utmost sympathy, and she made excuses for people who got in trouble, whatever the reason, and felt sorry for them.

Like my dad, my mom was very smart, although she also did not finish high school. She liked to work crossword puzzles and play word games. She saved many things, tangible reminders of happy memories, experiences, and events. In her later years, Mom had some physical problems, but she kept on going. Her heart was always at the Methodist Church in Shoals, where Grandma and Grandpa Gilbert had always gone, although for a time she attended elsewhere.

So today, in this space, I remember my mom, Bessie Mae (Gilbert) Sanders, a smart, caring, sympathetic, and determined woman. I can only hope to be like that, too!