Thursday, March 21, 2024
60 years of memories is hard to capture in a few paragraphs.. I remember my mom sewing all of our clothes until I was in at least Grade 3, and being so excited to have a store bought pair of jeans. I remember having a full supper every night with dessert, all made from scratch for a family of six. I remember Mom as a Tupperware lady. She was so proud of earning all the rewards and becoming a manager. I remember playing so many games of ping pong in the basement on the table she earned as a manager. I remember our baby blue station wagon and car trips with the three sisters in the back with the seat folded down and our feet hanging out the back window and Shane in the front seat in his red plastic car seat. I remember feeling incredibly rich when we built the cabin at Good Spirit Lake, and the amazing summers we had there—when Dad wasn’t needing us to clean out bins and drive tractors.
I remember my mom driving me to high school in Yorkton pretty much every morning in Grade 10 for volleyball practice and picking me up pretty much every night after volleyball games or musical or band practice. It didn’t occur to me that she had three other kids that she was likely also dropping off and picking up from their stuff—while making sure that Dad had breakfast, lunch, and a full supper.
I remember Mom being excited to take a computer science class through Continuing Ed so she could have something in common with me while I was taking Computing Science at the U of S.
I remember wedding dress shopping and not being able to find what I wanted, and Mom telling me to draw what I wanted, and the beautiful Mom-made wedding dress that resulted.
A few years later, I remember reading a Bernstein Bears bedtime story to my daughter, and how much she loved the dress the daughter bear was wearing, and Maria saying she would like Grandma to make that dress for her, and me saying that would be too hard for Grandma, but of course Grandma made it and it was perfect.
I remember Mom taking the bus from Springside to Edmonton several times when the dayhome was suddenly not available, and Mom would spend a week or two taking care of Maria—doing crafts and baking and being a fabulous Grandma.
I remember phoning Mom on my way to and from work every day after Dad died—because I thought mornings without Dad would be hard for her—and how good it was to be so connected with her every day for those years.
I remember the visits from Mom in the years after Dad died and before COVID. She flew out every three months or so for a couple of weeks and how much she loved going to fancy restaurants with Ralph and me.
I remember spending three months with Mom during COVID lockdown. I feel so blessed to have had that time with her. I still wonder how her life might have been different—better? worse? if she had stayed with me in Edmonton.
I remember spending a few days with Mom at the nursing home in Yorkton when she had COVID. I had to wear all the gear—felt like a Hasmat suit—but I needed to make sure Mom was getting fed and having her meds.
Mostly I remember Mom for being good at everything she did and tried—baking, macrame, painting, liquid embroidery, knitting, crochet.
Thank you, Mom, for all you taught me, all you did for me, and all you gave me.
I will always love you,
