Saturday, May 13, 2017

The Most Beautiful Woman I Know....

Today is Mother's Day.
A time to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions mothers all over the world have made.
I'll keep my tribute local and personal.
My mother.
 As Abraham Lincoln once said
 "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." 

Never one to boast, Mum  quietly lived her life in service to others. A full-time mother ( I hate the term stay-at-home) she managed to do the Suzy Homemaker stuff while being a volunteer for just about every cause that touched her heart. 
Mum spent afternoons at a local school working with children and adults with Down Syndrome, weekly shifts at a thrift store, was president and today at the age of 93, was honoured for 50 years of service as a member of  PEO, a philanthropic educational organization helping  less fortunate women achieve their educational goals.  Although my parents attained a certain level of financial comfort and ''success",  Mom never forgot where she came from. She was the first in her family born in Canada  to war refugees from southern Russia, and knew what it was like to struggle and be considered an outsider. The "Displaced Person" label doesn't go away. 

And then there were the Barbie doll clothes! Those teeny-tiny knitted outfits she painstakingly designed and made for my dolls. Yes she sewed many human-sized outfits for her 3 daughters and herself, but attaching an itty bitty sleeve to a Barbie coat?  Well, Mum deserves sainthood for that alone. 

Mom sometime in the late 60s
When my father died in 2006, at his memorial service I said that the greatest thing my dad gave me was the gift of his love. He always took time for me, an annoyingly curious young girl, always answered my many questions about the world " Daddy... why are there people"? His love was unconditional and I never for a moment doubted it.  The same applies to my mother. Never for a moment have I ever thought that my mother did not love me with her whole heart. She sacrificed much for her family and her community. 

Today I celebrate my mother, the most beautiful woman inside and out, that I have ever known.

At age 90 
Wartime Honeymoon 1944
My sisters and our mama.  
I'm the chunky-cheeked baby
 Happy Mother's Day Mama, love you to bits!




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