Wednesday, May 8, 2019

A Medley of Memories of Mom


So Mother's Day is almost here and that means it will be June before too long.
And we all know that June is the sixth month and that means 2019 is almost half over!!
Whaaat??
~
This past April 30th marked the ninth year since my mom went to be with Jesus.
I have shared quite a lot about her since I began this blog and I'm re-sharing some of it today.
No matter how old we get, we never stop missing them after they leave us, do we?
~
So Terri, our friend from Florida, has all the low-down on the history of Mother's Day.
She shared the following on her blog about this special day.


MOTHER’S DAY – Second Sunday in May

Mother's Day - Second Sunday in May

MOTHER’S DAY

Everyone has one or has someone who is like a mother to them.  On the second Sunday of May, we honor those women who are our mothers. Whether we shower her with gifts, take her to a fancy dinner or make her a homemade card, what moms want most is to be surrounded by the love of their family.  Knowing the people they love are safe, sound and healthy is a mom’s number one priority.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Remember to put mom first on Mother’s Day and use #MothersDay to share on social media.
HISTORY
Mother’s Day has been celebrated around the world since, well, since motherhood. In the United States, Julia Ward Howe inspired the first movement toward a national Mother’s Day during the Civil War. Appealing to the public for a “Mother’s Day for Peace” after witnessing the devastation left by war, Howe went on an international crusade. While her efforts never gained formal recognition for an official observance, she was acknowledged posthumously in 1988 for her achievements and her efforts for women’s rights.
It was in 1905 when Mother’s Day was finally introduced successfully by Anna Jarvis, the daughter of Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis who had followed Howe’s campaign and had pursued her own volunteer efforts during the Civil War. Her mother died on May 9, 1905, and she missed her greatly. She started a dedicated letter-writing campaign to declare an official Mother’s Day. Through Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, the first Mother’s Day was observed on May 10, 1908.
This day, to honor Anna Jarvis’s mother, grew into a National Observance until in 1911 when every state participated. Soon it was spreading internationally, and on May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day a national holiday to be held on the second Sunday of May.
So why not head on over to her blog, 
get the scoop and copy and paste her questions to your blog.

It's the


1. Where did your mom grow up?

Rural southwestern Ohio.

2. Tell us about her siblings, if she has/had any. Did you have a favorite aunt or uncle?

Mom (Mary Elma) and her twin, Edna Mae, were #5 and #6 out of 7 children. There was Ella, Raymond, Anna, Clara, Mom and Edna, and the baby, Amos. Here are the twins as infants, Mom is on the left. I think my baby pictures strongly resemble hers. 



And below,  I am guessing the twins might be about ten here and that is older sis, Clara in the middle who was two years older. Can you guess which one is Mom? There's that forehead that I inherited! 



And then finally, here are the twins at their 90th birthday celebration. Aren't they adorable? They probably look more like each other here than they ever did...and the Old German Baptist (Dunkard) church dresses and caps helped them out a bit. The twins were the only siblings who continued in the tradition of the church in which they were raised all their lives. 



Of course I loved all of my aunts and uncles but I'd have to say that Aunt Clara was my favorite sibling of Mom's...probably because our families lived the closest to each other and we cousins were closest in age than any of the others. Aunt Clara was two years older than Mom and her twin, Aunt Edna but she lived the longest...103 years! I wrote a post about her back in 2013 in honor of her 100th birthday.


Click on the link below (if you like) which will take you over to my other blog, Memories of my Childhood (and other blessings) and read all about my beloved Aunt Clara.


 3.  What is ONE of your favorite memories you can share with us of your mom?

Oh...there were so many wonderful memories. I have written quite a bit about my mom over the years and again, you can find them over on my other blog. I have chosen this as my favorite if you choose to click on the link and read it. I know some of you have read them before...no pressure.
 

  
 4. Please share a picture or two of your mom with us.
 


This is one of the last kisses that I gave her. It was Easter Sunday, 2010 and she was in the hospital. It would only be a few weeks later that Jesus would call her home. If you want, click on the link below and read about our last visit together.

5. Let's not leave out the grandmothers. Share what you will.
 
My dad's mother died when he was only seven and when his dad remarried, well, just let me say that they had another bunch of kids together and unfortunately she favored her own children over the steps. It created hard feelings with my dad (of course) over the years and his and our relationship with her was not close after his father died. During my growing up years, I didn't see her very often and barely even considered her a grandmother figure in my life...no surprise there. My maternal grandmother had already passed by the time I was born so I have no real "grandmotherly" memories to speak of. I have always felt a little sad about that but since my mom was much older when I was born, I actually have those kind of memories of her. Dos that make sense?

6. Do you have any special plans for Mother's Day?

At this moment in time, I have no clue...probably will at least go out to eat after church. But then again, all of the restaurants will be ridiculously crazy...may need to have a plan "B".


21 comments:

  1. Such sweet pictures of you with your mother, Debby, and yes, you do look very much like her. No, we never stop missing our mothers, do we. I do trust you will have a very enjoyable Mother's Day however, you decide to spend it.

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  2. OH my, what a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing this with us. Your mother looks like she was a very sweet and loving woman, and you were so blessed to have her. Love the pictures of her and her twin and their sister. Interesting the the twins stayed in the tradition of the Old German Baptist "Dunkard" church. I don't know a lot about that, but wonder if it is similar to Mennonite. I'm sure they had an interesting life and history. I imagine they were good cooks too. I will have to go back and read some of your other stories about her. Thank you for sharing this today. Have a blessed and Happy Mother's Day.

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  3. Love all your sweet pictures. They are so good!!! I get what you were saying about your Mother. That's a blessing for you that you got a two-fer!! That's very interesting about the Old German Baptist church which I've not heard of. Are they Dunkards because of baptism dunking? Or does Dunkards mean something in German?

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  4. Great photos. No we never stop missing them. Yep a plan B for Sunday sounds like a good idea. I expect restaurants will be busy. I hope you have a great day though.

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  5. Beautiful post Debby!! I am going to hug my Mom extra tight after reading your tribute! HUGS

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  6. So many treasured photos of you and your Mother and her with her siblings. Those old black and white photos are the best and tell us stories from long ago. I never knew the history of Mother's Day, so thanks for sharing. Wishing you a Happy Mother's Day filled with much love, Debby.

    ~Sheri

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  7. Debby... I loved seeing all the pics. You have TWO blogs? You are one busy lady. I'm still keeping you in my prayers!!

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  8. A sweet picture of you and your mom...a treasure! Happy Mother's Day!

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  9. So nice to see all the pictures and reading about your family. : )
    Happy MOther's Day.

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  10. So many precious memories.Wishing you a Happy Mother's Day.

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  11. The gene of longevity runs in your family, doesn't it. I loved reading this post about those special memories you have of you and your mum and your Aunt Clara. May your Mother's Day be a beautiful one, lovely Debby, filled with much love♥

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  12. You know what high foreheads mean, don’t you? Intelligence! ☺️

    I enjoyed reading this post and rereading Her Crowning Glory.

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  13. I love the pictures you shared! How fun that your mom was a twin! Great memories and wonderful blessings shared here! Thanks for joining the Medley today!

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  14. Oh Debby, this was just precious! ❤
    Your memories and photos brought a tear to my eye.

    I enjoyed looking back at your writings, thank you for sharing with us.

    Have a beautiful Mother's Day 🌷

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  15. Such a delight to visit and see the wonderful collection of photos. Wishing you a wonderful Mothers day.

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  16. What a wonderful post Debby, lovely to see all of these special photographs here.
    Wishing you a Happy Mothers Day.
    God bless.

    All the best Jan

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  17. Sweet memories of your dear mom. She was a twin, so special. Aunt Edna lived to 103! Wow! Loved all the photos. Hope you have a good Mother's Day!

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  18. I loved seeing all the sweet pictures, Debby, but tears are streaming down my cheeks with the poem that you shared at the beginning...how very true those words are by the unknown author.
    Happy Mother's Day to you as we both will be missing our own moms. xx

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  19. As an older mom myself, I love hearing your stories and hearing about the special relationship you had with your mom! A belated Happy Mother's Day to you, friend!

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  20. Following on Cheryl's footsteps, I'll say an even later belated happy Mother's Day, Debby. :-). Sweet photos all around. So interesting about the twins who were the only ones who remained in the family church tradition. I always wonder about stuff like that. I hope you are doing well.

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  21. Guess that you aren’t a fan of panty hose and chocolate chip cookies... ☺️

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Thank you for stopping by today! Your sweet comments are such an encouragement to me.