Day 41 Like a Mother

Day 41 is a picture that I didn't take today, I took it at my grandson's birthday party last month.  This evening I didn't take a picture, instead I attended a memorial service for Todd's cousin, Joe Chisler.  I didn't know Joe real well, but the times I was around Joe he was always friendly and had a great attitude.  This was exceptional, especially considering that he was in a car accident in the 90's that left him paralyzed from the waist down.  He still showed the love he had for family, and lived a pretty independent life.  He was remembered tonight by a lot of people with some really great memories.  I wish his family much peace and I hope their many memories will help them through this difficult time.  I believe that he is now again healthy and able to walk and hunt and fish like he did so many times before the accident.

I thought I would look through my memory card in my camera to find a picture to write about.  I came across this one.  I know that I have already posted it on Facebook, but I didn't get the chance to comment on the three wonderful ladies that are in the picture.

My step-mother, Kathy, is the one on the left.  She has been in my life since I was five years old.  She married my dad in 1969 and was a wonderful wife to him for so many years.  She has always been willing to let Dad spend time with us and quietly take the backseat when we were around.  I know that she had to sacrifice so much over the years because she always tried to make sure that Dad could do what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it.  Instead of spending money on wedding rings when they first got married, the funds went to buy Christmas bikes for JR and me.  She continued to allow him to come and visit whether the extra money was there or not.  I don't know that I really appreciated all that she did until just a few years ago.  Kathy never tried to take my mom's place with us, maybe because no one could have done that, but I think it was more than that.  I have been lucky to have her as a step mother over the years and I know that Dad was also lucky to have her as his wife.

In the middle is my mother-in-law, Babe.  This woman never ceases to amaze me.  Her mother died in childbirth when she was only two years old.  She was the baby of the family, which is where she got the nickname Babe.  Her father, or "Daddy" as she calls him, was an older dad, but he made sure she was raised right and knew she was loved.  I am always amazed at how well she raised her own kids without having a mom to help or show her the right way.  She was raised Catholic and remains very strong in her faith to this day.  She is the mother-in-law that I want to be.  The kids all want to be around her, the grand kids and their friends all love being around Grandma Babe.  She loves her family and is always the life of the room.  Babe lost her husband when she was in her early 50's.  She never dated after because she always felt that her kids and grand kids were enough to fill her life.  My mom considered her a friend and enjoyed being around her.  She has one of those personalities that kind of draw a person in and when that happens you become like family.

The wonderful lady on the right is my ex-mother-in-law.  Grandma Bette, she is one of the sweetest ladies around.  She would give you the sweater off of her back, even if she was freezing.  I wasn't her daughter in-law for long, but I feel like she is still my mother in-law to this day.  I always look forward to a "Grandma Bette hug" or to hear "Well hello sweetie".  She is always trying to help someone and I remember well when she would way overspend on Christmas because she just loved to make others happy.  No matter how many times everyone would tell her not to, come Christmas morning there was always way more than there should have been under the tree.  She knew she would have to work overtime for months to make up for it, but she didn't care.  I always looked forward to the holidays when I would go to pick Heather up from her house because I knew I would get a few minutes to visit with her.  She was a good friend to Mom, they worked together at World Color Press for a long time.  I know Mom thought a lot of her.  No matter what is going on she has a way of making you feel like one of the most important people in the world.  When I mention her name to others, I always hear, "She has the heart of gold" and it is so true.

I think my three grandsons are so very lucky to have these wonderful people in their lives and to be able to call all of them Grandma.  I hope that when they are grown that they appreciate these ladies like I do and I hope that I can even begin to walk in the Grandma footsteps that they have made, because although their shoe sizes aren't extreme, those are some pretty big shoes to fill.

Be kind, love those who are important in your life and be happy!