M is for MOM

Mrs. Matlock has assigned our class the letter M this week and I chose to post photos and stories of my mother.


My mother was born on September 4, 1914, in IL and she wasn't expected to live. The Italian doctor who tended to my grandmother during her home delivery, told everyone in the room to just set my mother aside because she "wasn't going to live". My great-grandmother had other ideas and scooped my tiny mother up, wrapped her in blankets, and set her near the stove for warmth. My mom was a strong little person even in the first few delicate hours of her life.


Here is an early photo of my mother with a huge bow in her hair, high-top strap shoes, and pretty jewelry to adorn her tiny arms and fingers. This photo was probably taken sometime in 1916 or 1917.My mother grew up with 5 brothers and, since she was the oldest child and a female, she had to take care of the "boys" as if they were her own. She had to learn to cook and clean at a young age, and my grandfather wouldn't let my mother go to high school because he wanted her to work and help support the family. My mother was always obedient so she went to work and gave my grandfather her check each pay day.

This photo was taken when my mother was around 18 years old.

My mother was always an exquisite fashion plate as evidenced in the following photo when my mother served as a godmother in the early 30's. She is standing on the right.
This is perhaps my favorite photo of my mother taken when she was a bridesmaid in a wedding. She has always said that she was a bridesmaid more times than she can count! This photo reminds me of a Hollywood star regally posing for the camera.
Here is another photo of my mother as a bridesmaid. She hated this dress and always called it her "fish shark dress". I like her hair,the fancy headpiece and all the flowers in her bouquet.
Again another gorgeous photo of my mother dressed from head to toe in all her finery. Note the watch pinned on the left side of her suit top. That watch was worn by my grandmother in 1913 when she was married, by my mother in 1943 for her wedding, in 1978 I wore it and my daughter worn it for her wedding in 2006. This watch is truly a family heirloom.
I never understood the next photo of my mother. Here she is standing on a stump wearing funky stockings, holding a yo-yo (?) looking at the side of a house or perhaps someone standing on the other side of the door. This photo has always amused me because it really has no explanation except for the viewer's imagination!
This photo is of my mother at age 92. She has outlived my father, her parents, her brothers and all but one of her sisters-in-law.
This photo was taken on my mother's 95th birthday last September. The cameo in the photo was brought back from Italy by my father after WWII. My mother has the matching ring and bracelet.
My mother has had a good long life and I continue to admire her strength as she deals with age and the problems that go along with being elderly. Obviously our roles have changed. I am now her caretaker and I am forever showing her how to do the simple things that she once showed me how to do. My mother has become quite frail lately and I told one of my cousins that I really have no regrets when it comes to being a good daughter to my parents. Sure I challenged them but, overall, I was never a problem and they had few worries when I was growing into adulthood. I'm at peace with what will come because I know in my heart that my mom is happy and we have been very good to each other.
This is linked back to Alphabe-Thursday for the letter M.