Thankful for MY Mom Of The Seasons

My Mom.

My Mom is an amazing woman.  I have never met anyone like her in the "few decades" I've been alive.    She would tell you that she is far from perfect, and while that may be true, she is perfect for us.

My Mom is a Mom of all the seasons...of the year and of my life.

Thanksgiving is one of her favorite holidays so wanted to honor her this time of year and tell God Thank you for my Mom.  I'll attempt to tell the story in pictures.

To my Mom...life is a celebration.  A great time for balloons, flowers, kites and kids.

She was a genius before her time and seemed to intuitively know that traditions and creating moments and memories make a family great!

 

Quilts are one of her favorite things.  She treasures the old quilts and quilt pieces passed down from family and friends.  Her dream is to have a sewing room and create history.  As I understand it, quilts remind her of her life.  A way to piece together the pieces, history and experiences and create beautiful art.  Sewing was a skill she learned as a survival tool and made clothes for six girls and....many many dolls.

Anywhere we went, our Mom would tell us the history of land or the buildings.  To impress a sense of respect, honor and appreciation for old buildings and old people.  She was very annoying as she tried to tell us about the German, Polish, Swedish or Irish immigrants and their traditions and buildings.

She taught us to look past what is to the WHAT WAS all around us.  My youngest and I thought about her as we drove through Nebraska...wondering what she would say about those old barns.

My Mom makes Christmas seem like the best thing that could ever happened.  She adores a Christmas drive to see the lights and she squeals like a little girl.  In fact, it is one of many things that brings out my Mom's sense of childhood and joy.  She created traditions that are carved within the very hearts of her girls and even the grandchildren.  We never knew we were poor.  She made Christmas magical.

Halloween is another.  She created haunted houses, carnivals and festivals out of any holiday.  Invented costumes and spent days decorating for "the kids."

For New Year's Eve...she moved the furniture, hung up Christmas lights and made finger food for the "girls' dance."  Our friends would all come and hang out for the night.  Christmas lights and Monopoly!

Easter is for robins, kids and Mom.  She does Easter Egg hunt on steroids.  Scavenger hunts, Easter egg hunts and kite flying to name just a few activities!  In addition, the robins begin to come and the story of the robin plucking a thorn from Jesus forehead and turning his breast red...was a somber story.  "Do you hear the robin's praising Jesus?" she would ask.

Thanksgiving is a humbling holiday of remembering a Thanksgiving where her and her sister were all alone and their "feast" was a can of mustard sardines.  So we remember and honor her with sardines on Thanksgiving eve.  Sunflowers, dried leaves and the fruits of fall are her favorite.  And dandelions and Zinnias.  My Dad or little sisters would bring her bouquets.  They always made her laugh.  She always grew a huge garden and canned, dehydrated and froze all of the amazing produce.  

God made my Mom for the seasons and I'm so thankful for her today!