I Miss Her

WHEN I WAS A CHILD, Mom was always there for me.

*It was fun to go with Mom to McNeany's and Chester's department stores to select fabrics and patterns for clothes which she sewed for me. When I came home from school, they'd be ready for me to try on. The dresses and all the other clothing items she made were always extremely well-made and one of a kind.

*I always knew I'd come home to a delicious home-cooked meal and dessert besides.

*Our home was always clean; I always had nice clean clothes to wear.

*I always had everything I needed and more.

*WHEN I WAS AN ADULT, Mom was still eager to be there when I needed anything.

*Whenever I stopped at my parents' house, Mom and Dad were always there and would always warmly welcome me.

*It was always a treat when Mom would call me at work and invite me over for lunch.

*She always made holidays special for me, all four of my brothers and our families.

*Mom would always rather give than receive.

*Mom and I would make huge batches of lefse, a Norwegian treat, together in her kitchen. (Mom was a full-blooded Norwegian). About halfway through the process, we'd clear a portion of the table and Dad would join us for a lunch of lefse, cranberry sauce and hard-boiled eggs. I loved my lefse spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar.

*Mom babysat for my son, Jared, whenever I needed her help.

*When Mom had was unable to do for others as Parkinson's disease disabled her, she still tried to give in any way she could. When she couldn't get up from her chair by herself, she'd say, "Get yourself a candy from that dish over there," or "Help yourself to a cookie and some juice in the refrigerator." During that phase of Mom's life, I think not being able to take care of others bothered her more than anything else.

*Throughout my life, my mother was there for me, ready and willing to give of herself to me in anyway she could.

*Mom always made me feel as safe as a lamb in Jesus' arms.

*I miss her.