My Momma

For the past couple of days, I've been pondering ways to honor my Momma.  See, she died 13 years ago today.  Last year, I wrote her a letter telling her about my year, the year before that I shared the story of her death and Jakes birth.  I though about typing in the eulogy that was given at the funeral.  But that just seems sad.  I read through it today and cried.  That's enough sadness.

Momma

I think its time to just share the good things about Momma.  Its time to stop being sad over her passing and rejoice in her life.  She knows how much I still miss her every day, she knows how much I love her and cherish the memories that I have of her.  So let me share some with you..........

Momma wasn't a morning person.  But she got up with us each and every school day.  She made sure we had breakfast, made our lunches and then sat at the dining room table to watch us get on the bus.  I think most mornings, she went back to bed once we were gone, but she was there went it mattered.

Christmas mornings found Brother and I in the hallway, blocked by a baby gate, waiting for a decent hour to wake the parents up.  At 6:00 am, we'd start yelling and jumping up and down to get them up.  Eventually, Mom and Dad would come downstairs to let us tear open the presents.  After the mess was cleaned up, Mom would head to the kitchen to start making the cinnamon buns and coffee for the relatives who would be stopping by later.  Brother and I would be playing with our new toys.  I loved the smell of coffee percolating.

I remember Brother and I fighting or causing trouble and Mom yelling "JAMIE!"  Brother and I would stop and wait for Mom to decide which of us was in trouble......  Brother = Jimmy, me = Amy   Jimmy+Amy= JAMIE when Mom was angry.  It was usually ME in trouble for something or other.

Mom was a wonderful seamstress.  She made so many of my clothes.  If we were in a shop and I saw something I liked., Mom would whip out her sketch pad.  A week or so later, I'd have the same garment!  Every 6 months or so (especially before Christmas), Mom would make us kids stand in her sewing room and get our measurements taken.  Without them, she couldn't make new stuff for us.

Halloween 1985
All made by Momma

OH! And from November 1st through Christmas, you'd better NOT be in her sewing room without her permission!  You never know what she's got on the table for you or someone else.

Mom loved Broadway musicals, she's the one that got me hooked.  One day I came home from school to find her listening to her CD player.  She handed me the headset and said "You HAVE to listen!"  The CD started out low, with someone talking - no singing yet.  I'm listening intently when all of a sudden, the music starts up LOUD!  I tossed the headset off while Mom sat there laughing at me.  She knew it was going to get loud.

Jenni
She hangs in my hallway
Momma cross-stitched her

I remember taking the train to NYC with Mom and my Aunt.  Once in the City, we grabbed a cab to take us to Broadway.  I remember hanging on for Dear Life and praying for all I was worth on that short cab ride!  Once we arrived at the theatre, Mom, Aunt and I piled out of the cab as quickly as humanly possible.  We hugged each other, laughing to make sure we really did survive.  I think we had a greater appreciation for the show we went to see because of that cab ride.  I also remember walking back to the train station.......

The Patch Family
Momma made so many to share
I still have Momma's two favorite

Mom had a predictable menu throughout the week.  Wednesday was Spaghetti night. She would spend all day making sauce, usually with tomatoes canned from her garden.  It was Dad's favorite meal.  There were usually homemade chocolate chip cookies waiting for us after school.

I remember so many summer afternoons standing in the kitchen, slicing tomatoes to cold pack them or working the food mill for tomato sauce.  Then in the fall, we'd make applesauce.  There was also the time spent blanching the green veggies for freezing.  And soaking the broccoli to make sure there was no worms!

One evening in the garden, she was pulling weeds or something and it was my turn to get the potato bugs off the potatoes and tomatoes.  She had an old peanut butter jar for scrapping them off the leaves.  All the dead bugs just stayed in there, with no air, in the sunshine, cooking away.  gross.

The Family
Momma made everything we are wearing, even Dad's tie
(except Brothers outfit)

Another year, we borrowed the neighbors field to plant extra corn.  It was a particularly dry year and we spent lots of time running soaker hoses out to the field, between the rows of corn stalks.  Mom would be running down one row, I'd be in the next one, dragging the hose behind us.  By the time we got to the other end, I was itching and broke out in hives wherever the corn stalks had touched me.  That was the first time I'd broken out over the corn but there was no panic in Mom.  Just sent me to the house for a benadryl.

As I became a teen, I'd spend tons of time with my BFF, Kimber.  My parents knew her parents and communicated frequently to make sure we were behaving when we were together.

Mom and I butted heads on plenty of occasions.  I thought I was more grown than I actually was.  Typical teen.  But once I moved out and truly "grew up", Momma was my best friend.  We talked daily, shared almost everything.  I had a wonderful childhood (not that I always thought so then) and Mom did a wonderful job of raising Brother and I.  I always thought Mom loved Brother best and he thought the same of me.

Momma and Me
1995

I do know that no matter how annoying, mouthy, obnoxious or bad I was, Momma always loved me.