Recently my Mom made her transition to her new life. Although her death was not unexpected, it was still difficult. Your cards, prayers and messages made it possible for me to bear. One of my students and friends, wrote a line of truth, “96 is too young to die.”
The truth is that life is eternal. She is still with us in spirit. She is free, but we are lonely. We miss her. But wouldn’t it be strange if we didn’t.
We have been reminiscing. Sharing our memories has helped me to accept what is while honoring the unique qualities of our mother.
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| 1953? Clark family |
The thing I would like to share in today’s blog is how Mom was very strict about using proper language; we were not allowed to swear, curse or use any vulgar language. When I was preschool age, I saw a 4-letter word written on the sidewalk. The “f” word. I asked her how to pronounce it and what it meant. She said it was a word that some “bad boys” made up. That worked for me until I saw the same word scribbled in a distant city.I knew then that either those “bad boys” get around or it was a word she didn’t want to explain to me.
My sister remembers getting her mouth washed out with soap for saying “sh*t.” When we read the Christmas story, Jesus rode on a donkey, not an ass.
However, Mom loved stories. Both she and dad had read to us when we were children. While her eyesight was good she loved to read. Then she discovered the talking books. She went through dozens of them. She especially liked modern, romantic fiction by authors like Danielle Steele.
One day, my sister was taking Mom to a doctor’s appointment. Mom was having trouble getting out of the car and said to Kathy, “I’m having trouble hauling my ass out of here!” Kathy was certain she had misheard! Kathy asked her what she had said. She repeated it and then said, “I guess I’ve been listening to too much Danielle Steele.”
Everything changes. Maybe “hauling my ass” was exactly the right way to express herself that day.
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| A Walker is a Good Support |