Today marks the one year anniversary of my husband's mother's death. Upon her death I became the matriarch of the family. I really thought about that a long time. I came to the conclusion that I simply could not replace such a woman. She was fiercely independent, and yet was a wife of submission. She was a radical woman. She was a stubborn creature! She loved her family with the love of Christ and the heart of a lion. She would do anything in her power to make sure you knew you were loved.
I miss her today especially. She loved sitting on my back porch in a wheel chair, watching kids and grand kids play and laugh. It was one of her greatest joys to be called Granny.
She often introduced me as her daughter because she never thought of me as a daughter-in-law. It was an honor I never took lightly for 45 years.
As I sit on my back porch this morning thinking back over the years of my life I am reminded that first I was a daughter, then a daughter-in-law, then a mom, then a Meme, then a great Meme and wonder what has been my favorite gift from my children. And it is in fact a gift from my mother-in-law. It was that look in her eyes one day as she sat on my back porch in her wheel chair. That look that I would finally grasp the truth and depth of. She would call each child by name, making sure she had eye contact, and tell them she loved them. As the days past as she no longer could use words, I still saw that look in her eyes, love and pride for her family. The greatest gift to her was her family.
Yes, the packages with ribbons and bows are nice but to know your children are people of character, people who belong to Christ, people who share their heritage with their own children..........that is the best gift of all.
Happy Mother's Day.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
We Bought a Backyard
Six and a half years ago my husband and I lived in a 41 ft coach. We lived wherever we parked. We were on the road for a while with some dear friends from our. Navy days in the 70's. We all worked at Disney that last winter we were on the road. We worked 6 hours at a time and did that for 2 days so we could play the rest of the time. Free reign of the parks and parking. So we left the road with, "Welcome to Magic Kingdom. Have a magical day" playing in our heads.
My dad became ill and we felt we needed to come off the road for aging parents. So we did.
When we got here we lived in a local RV park while we looked for a house. Did I mention the coach was 41 ft.? We looked for that perfect last home, because at our age we figured it would be the last move, until Jesus comes to get us. We looked and looked and finally one February afternoon my mom calls me on the phone. "Pamela (that's how I know she means business), I have found y'all a house. It's just 5 houses from me on my street." Yeah, you're right! A neighborhood? Five houses from mom? On her street? But we went to look anyway.
Mr. West had just put a For Sale by Owner sign up 2 hours before we arrived. We knocked and were invited in that very moment. We bought it that very night. Now let me just say, we didn't buy this house for the house, we bought it for the backyard. Yes it was the dead of winter. It was almost dark when we saw the backyard.
We've done a lot of cosmetic work to the house itself. But we literally transformed the backyard. For some reason, we saw the backyard as it could be that February day. As I sit on my back porch (added) in my swing bed, I am looking out into a bird sanctuary. The beds are full of a mix of bedding flowers and wild flowers. There's a small picket fence that divides the 60ft deep backyard in to 40/20 space. We have 2 arbors, one open and sunny and one covered in wisteria with bottles and tin signs. The beds are lined with plates of every color and a few bottles in between. There are red roses and purple butterfly bushes. Black-eyed Susans and cone flowers. There are handmade wind chimes made from bottles and old jewelry. This vision turned into reality is the reason we bought the house.
Now, let me go into the house, in my one butt kitchen, and make some supper.
My dad became ill and we felt we needed to come off the road for aging parents. So we did.
When we got here we lived in a local RV park while we looked for a house. Did I mention the coach was 41 ft.? We looked for that perfect last home, because at our age we figured it would be the last move, until Jesus comes to get us. We looked and looked and finally one February afternoon my mom calls me on the phone. "Pamela (that's how I know she means business), I have found y'all a house. It's just 5 houses from me on my street." Yeah, you're right! A neighborhood? Five houses from mom? On her street? But we went to look anyway.
Mr. West had just put a For Sale by Owner sign up 2 hours before we arrived. We knocked and were invited in that very moment. We bought it that very night. Now let me just say, we didn't buy this house for the house, we bought it for the backyard. Yes it was the dead of winter. It was almost dark when we saw the backyard.
We've done a lot of cosmetic work to the house itself. But we literally transformed the backyard. For some reason, we saw the backyard as it could be that February day. As I sit on my back porch (added) in my swing bed, I am looking out into a bird sanctuary. The beds are full of a mix of bedding flowers and wild flowers. There's a small picket fence that divides the 60ft deep backyard in to 40/20 space. We have 2 arbors, one open and sunny and one covered in wisteria with bottles and tin signs. The beds are lined with plates of every color and a few bottles in between. There are red roses and purple butterfly bushes. Black-eyed Susans and cone flowers. There are handmade wind chimes made from bottles and old jewelry. This vision turned into reality is the reason we bought the house.
Now, let me go into the house, in my one butt kitchen, and make some supper.
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