To a certain point, I believe that to be true. I also realize now that when Mom was raising
me, however, she was able to continue her life and it was a busy one! Sewing our clothes and quilts, knitting and
crocheting our sweaters, hats and mittens, taking care of a vegetable garden
that took up an acre of land and canning or freezing everything that came out
of it took up her days. In addition, of
course, she was taking care of all of us, especially me, the baby of the family
of five children.
One memory of my childhood comes back each time I kiss
Mom goodbye now. I most always visit in
the morning and stay until she sits down to each lunch. She always wants to know if I am staying and
is obviously looking for a place for me to sit.
My response is always the same. “I
have a meeting”, I say, knowing that response will put her at ease. I don’t have a meeting but it is something
with which she can identify.
 |
| Mom begins her process of preparing her place setting for lunch. For some reason, she uses her napkin as a placemat. |
Daddy was a teacher and Mom was a homemaker all the while
I was growing up. I remember the school
nights after dinner when we would all be in the library of our home, Daddy
grading papers and my brothers and sisters doing homework. Busy during the day, Mom used that time to
read, something she loved to do and hence, the reason we had a “library” in our
home.
Some nights, however, Mom and Daddy would leave after
dinner to go to a meeting. They were
involved in church, Daddy’s school, and the local school my brothers and sister
attended. There were also 4-H meetings
because they were both leaders, separately – Daddy of a livestock club and Mom
of a sewing club – and Daddy was one of the founders of the local baseball
league given that he had three sons to keep busy.
So, out they would go, telling me that they had a meeting
to go to. It was sometimes frustrating
to me because in my mind, I was the center of their world. Why would they leave me? J One particular night, they told me I could
stay up until they came back home but they didn’t tell my brother whom they
left in charge. When I refused to go to
bed, I very clearly remember him picking me up and carrying me upstairs to my
bed. He was gentle and kind about the
entire thing and kept telling me that Mom and Daddy didn’t tell him that. Needless to say, I was not happy with them
when they arrived home!
Lucky for me, Mom is not a child. She may need help at times like a child and
she can’t find the words she wants but there are some things that still strike
a chord in her mind. Meetings is one of
those things and if a little lie like telling her that I have a meeting will
put her at ease, then I can do that!
