It is summertime and I needed to remind myself of that fact. We have been
so inundated with rain and floods, tornadoes all around us for the last 3 weeks
or so that I’ve kind of lost sight of the dates. It is almost mid-July- this would have
been my mother’s 95th birthday. And she would have loved being that old and
alive. She would have loved MY grandsons- loved to see Jordan and Luke getting
settled in their lives- she loved living. Everyday she would celebrate life.
I miss her.
I never saw my mother depressed. ANGRY- inquisitive- loving- worried- determined-
whimsical- yes to all of those – but never depressed.
I take after her in a lot of things, but she was made of tougher stuff than I am.
I grew up determined not to be like my mother.
I vowed I would be different.
And now, sometimes,
I wish I were more like her.
Summertime with Ella and Satchmo
Happy Birthday, Mom.
Songwriters: GERSHWIN, GEORGE / HEYWARD, DU BOSE / HEYWARD, DOROTHY / GERSHWIN, IRA
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Oh, Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
One of these mornings
You’re going to rise up singing
Then you’ll spread your wings
And you’ll take to the sky
But until that morning
There’s a’nothing can harm you
With your daddy and mammy standing by
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
Happy Birthday, Heidi’s Mom! How lovely to see photos of your family, Heidi! I hope summertime is bringing cheer and light to you! xxx
Cheer and light are hopefully ahead, Celia. We have had the most days of rain I can ever remember in June and July- weeks of constant rain. The pictures were from Long Island,NY where Jordan was visiting his brother and family over the Independence Day Holidays.
They look happy and festive, don’t they?
My mother, when going into Hospice care wrote me a little sad note, saying please don’t forget me. At the time- I couldn’t figure out why she thought I would forget her. Lately, I’ve been more committed to remembering her out loud.
Yes, to all of the above. I love the pictures. It is a quiet and a little sad day.
I just wanted to publicly remember her, you know? Looking at the pictures of the kids I thought how much she would love them all and decided to honor her memory – today on what would have been her 95th.
It seems to me like you embody some of her best qualities. I suspect she’s pretty happy with who you are as she checks in on you. 🙂
Thank you, Sandhya, I’d like to think that. I am always astounded when I remember her energy level and the drive she had to keep on going. I feel like just giving up and quitting sometimes, but my mother never quit. She NEVER quit.
Happy Birthday Memories – your mother sounds like a wonderful dear person, you describe her beautifully. And you are a dear person too!
I love the photo of the family in their green and red t shirts, and the way the green of the t shirts picks up the other tones of green in the photo. They look so relaxed and really making the most of a good time and then the colour shift in the second photo to red and blues. And I had my head buried in different lavenders today and I thought of you and snapped photos away of lots of sorts of lavender to share, though most of them were a bit blurry. And what is that stone, is it a bee hive marker, a sort of ‘beware of the bees’ sign? Hope that the floods drain away and you can enjoy some more summertime xx
Hi Joanna! I wish I could take credit for the pictures, but my son was vacationing in New York with his brother(where it hasn’t been raining all day, every day!) and he shared some of the pictures that they took with me.\
The bee hive stone is one I found at an herb fair and it took my fancy. I actually hope it will encourage some bees to come around; a whimsical “Bees Wanted” sign. My courgettes and cucumbers have flowers but they drop off without being pollinated.
We had no rain today- tomorrow they are talking about just random sprinkles and then perhaps rain again next week. Sigh 🙁
I am going to huff and puff and blow our heat wave your way next week 🙂 I wil trade you for a little of your rain, just a little, no tornados please 🙂 The cold spring we had has meant that there are very few insects around, so good news in the kitchen but not so good for pollination. 10 pm and about 24 C indoors. I would like someone to come and fan me while I sleep tonight 🙂
Hah- I like the mental pictures of Egyptian ladies or men with big fans. I have a ceiling fan that I use most of the time- I only turn it off in extremely low temps in the winter.
I like to be cool at night.
I would take the heat as long as it isn’t filled with humidity.
Our heat index is high right now- the third day without rain but humidity out the wazoo!
I should just quit complaining- if only my garden would look like it might grow I would not complain anymore.
So sweet- I always remember the ever-present sparkle in her eyes and how child-like she was (in the good way)! I love how you remind us the power of words and story. You are truly loved by the people in your life, as you have committed to showing love to those blessed enough to know you!
Thanks, Jennifer.
My mother did have a real sense of the child within her. She slipped into my children’s play so easily- even when she didn’t understand the story line of the characters. I can still hear Jordan’s little boy voice, ” No, Grandma- the giant rat is a good guy and the ninja looking guy is BAD!”
I think a great part of my life will always be about memories- and to express them becomes a way of giving them honor and place in my days.
My mother is 91. She, too, is made of tougher stuff than I am! I think it was that generation. I grew up thinking I did not want to be like her, and I am not. I am more like my father, whom she adored. But Mom never sees how much I am like my dad.
I enjoyed your post and all the photos of your family. Summertime and the livin’ is definitely easy. 🙂
Parents are so necessary to our existence. We think we can outgrow them- get away from their influence- and even after they die they still are so THERE! I was my dad’s favorite child because I was so like my mother growing up. I was happy to have his attention- but he died when I was 16 and she lived for over 30 years after him. She was so indomitable- and then she was gone. I’m hoping I have given my children more and less of myself.
My mom was the toughest on me of all her children(7)- but she also hung around with my family the most.