Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today, my mother turns 78--well, she would if she were still here, but we lost her to cancer 15 years ago, two days before she would have turned 63. But her nearly 63 years on this earth were very worthwhile. As sad as that seems, she nearly died 45 years before in a car accident. Had she not survived, I wouldn't be here writing about her now.

She did live to see all 11 of her grandchildren born. At the time of her death the oldest was 12 and the youngest nearly 2. In the time that she's been gone, 5 of her grandchildren have gotten married; and she has one great granddaughter.

My Mom was pretty strict by today's standards, but we didn't go without much that we needed. I'm grateful that she taught us how to clean the house, cook, and do other chores that have come in handy over the years (although I still resist cleaning most of the time.) I couldn't tell you if she favored any of her four children over any of the others. Maybe my siblings have opinions on it, I just felt that she loved us all a lot.

My Mom would probably thrive in today's economic atmosphere. We went on a three week camping trip in 1971, 6 of us in the Ranch Wagon across the United States to the Rocky Mountains. It's the trip that I fell in love with Colorado, and began my desire to live there. My parents had never had a credit card before, but decided to get one just in case they needed it on a trip that long. They of course, never used it, despite two emergencies--one involving the tent and another involving a blown tire on the Wagon. A few years ago, I saw the log and expenses that my mother dutifully kept of all of our trips. All told, the vacation cost my parents a little over $300, 6 people 22 days. I was totally amazed. Of course, gas at that time was about a quarter a gallon.

In some ways, it's a shame that my own kids didn't get to know her a little better. My daughter was only 8 when my mother died, but in other ways, my children have had my mother with them even to this day, as her Mother, My Grandmother and my children's Great-Grandmother is still alive and going strong at 99. Every time I visit with her, I always learn more about my mother. (More on that later).

Happy Birthday Mom, We Miss you!