………………………..My Mother was a beauty…..both outside and in….Her friends called her “carrot top” because of her beautiful wavy red hair. Her given name was Lorita, but everyone called her Edith. She had beautiful soulful dark brown eyes……I like to think I have my Mother’s eyes………Sometimes it’s hard to think that our mothers had full lives before we were born. They too were children….grew up…were teenagers….became adults…..and had many experiences….had friends, and boyfriends. They worked and played……They went away in the summers with their girlfriends……and who knows what went on….though I have seen pictures, and heard “some” stories!…… They went to dances and parties, and celebrated all of the Holidays…..all before we were born…but, then we did come along….and they became Mothers…….My mother married my father what in those days was considered late in life. She was 28. I asked her why she waited to get married……”I was having too much fun!” she said…… I’m my Mother’s baby, and yes I was definitely a mommy’s boy. My two older brothers are six and eight years older then me. There was another baby between my middle brother and me, but it wasn’t to be…..Then I arrived!…………..My Mother and I were always very close…..You could say in my early years I hung onto her apron strings…..She taught me how to drive a car……..When I moved into the big city at 18 I was the last of her brood…..I know she was very sad to see me go……..My Mother passed away nine years ago at the age of ninety six…..so we did have many years together, but they are never enough…………There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her………………………………………………………………..
……………………..Happy Mother’s Day Mom……………….I’ll Love you forever…………………………………….
I was very touched by your tribute to your mother. You were blessed.
You do resemble her, not just the eyes!
I was born on Mother’s Day also. I was very fortunate; my mother died ten years ago at ninety three and was good until the last year. She was supposed to die in the summer; I packed a suitcase. Summer passed and early fall came. I was told she wouldn’t recognize me and not to travel to her. I packed again. Finally it was Thanksgiving.
My mother was an immigrant and that was her holiday. We’d always spent it together.
I flew to Buffalo to see her. She couldn’t talk but her eyes were bright and followed my voice. I told her I was fine, her younger sister and bil were fine. I was back in Boston that night when the phone rang at 1a.m. She’d died the night of Thanksgiving eve.
One of my cousins said, “Aunt Clara wanted us all to be together on Thanksgiving one last time.”
I have been told parents never want to pass in front of their children. They wait for them to leave and then let go…..I don’t know how true it is, but it makes perfect sense to me.
I never heard that before! If you knew my mother, it would make sense.
She was upset with her middle sister’s funeral and when we got home she dictated everything she wanted, had me type it and sign it. She told me if I didn’t obey her wishes she’d come back to haunt me. Then we both started laughing.
The night before her funeral the rabbi (who didn’t know her) came to plan his role. OMG! He said he was going to say the ONE psalm she didn’t want said and do a eulogy (she didn’t want one;she didn’t want praise for the forty years of hands on volunteer work she did.)The family didn’t budge, my niece said a favorite poem of my mother’s and the eulogy sounded like it was for someone else. My uncle said she got to him; he was unusually nervous.
So we ended up laughing instead of crying!
What gorgeous hair! She was a beautiful ‘ginger’ just like Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean Baker)!
Redheads only make up 2% of World population. Their hair fades to Blonde, then Silver, never gray.
Glad you had time to make a lot of fabulous memories. Thanks for sharing.
Your right….she went from a red head to silver white….never went through a blond stage. Of course she told me I caused her hair to go white!, but I knew that wasn’t true!!
Louis- Thank you for sharing those lovely memories of your Mother. Mother’s Day hasn’t meant the same to me (even though
I have 3 children) since I lost my Mother at the way too early age of 75. It sounds like your
Mother had a beautiful, rich life.
Dear Louis,
What a beautiful tribute to your beautiful mother…She had to be an exceptional woman to raise such an exceptional son–you must have made her very proud. Thanks for sharing this tender remembrance of her.
Happy Mother’s Day to all!
Grace
I think your mother sounds like someone I’d love for a friend! I married at 38, so yes, I had a very fully life before my son was born. I totally get what you are saying about your mother. So sweet of you to share your memories of her with us. You continue to make her very proud, Louis. That’s a very special gift to a mother.
crdlb
What a lovely remembrance of your Mother, Louis.
The year I was born was Mother’s Day and my mother always let me know how thrilled she was and it is a very happy memory for me.
Happy Birthday to Jac too….she’s a May baby too.
See you tomorrow, Elaine
What a beautiful tribute to your beloved mother. You were blessed to have her in your life and I will say prayers for her when I go to Mass this morning.
Happy Mother’s Day,
Dariann
What a beautiful tribute to your Mom! Happy Mother’s Day to all who are Moms.
Best regards,
Chris
I have tears in my eyes from your warm and loving tribute to your mother, Louis. Yes, you do have her eyes. The glance she has in the photo above is reminiscent of your photo on your blog. Your mother was lovely — red hair! Some children have flickers of their mother’s soul within them, and others have a few more of those flickers. You and your mother shared many of the same flickers, I think. It is understandable that you were very close. A mother loves all her children equally, of course, but in some, she can see a bit more of her heart. Happy Mother’s Day to all!
Your mother’s hair is marcelled, I believe. She was a fashionista in her time.
Yes, it was for the photo, but she had naturally very wavy hair. She worked on 7th Ave when it was really the center of American Fashion. She loved clothes and loved to dress. Of course those were the days when dressing morning, noon and night was the fashion, unlike today. In the photo she was wearing a navy dress with a white collar, cuffs and big flower.
What a great look your mother carried! She was a precursor of one of my favorite looks, that of Ann Sothern in the TV show “Private Secretary” (a.k.a. “Susie”). Although only in elementary school, I was impressed by the look Susie showed off in the office: She typically wore a dress with a white collar and white cuffs on the sleeves. Her eyeglasses were large and black-framed. Her jewelry was typically the big gold hoop earring. Her look and that of Esther Williams (outside the water), as dressed by Helen Rose, influenced my tastes. Your mother was a trendy and stylish lady; I have no doubt of that. Below is Susie; her collars were usually plainer than this one.
https://www.tumblr.com/search/susan%20camille%20susie%20macnamara
One last thing. Your mother’s lips are perfectly shaped. Beautiful.
Such a lovely Memory of your beautiful Mother!
This Mother’s Day – we have 3 Family Members who are celebrating a Birthday (May 8th) – including my Mother!
Happy Mother’s Day to all.
You do have her eyes! I thought that as soon as I saw her photo. Lovely tribute.
Julia
You are a very lucky man to have been blessed with such a wonderful mother. That love stays with you forever as your lovely tribute to your Mom reveals. I wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all my Linea Sisters today.
A beautiful and loving tribute to your Mother, Louis. You were lucky to have her so long…she gave you good genes plus many other character traits, to be sure. : )
What a beautiful tribute. Wishing everyone a happy Mother’s Day.