Mom passed away on May 13th 1998, not only was this a great loss to me, but it also hurts me very much that my mother left this world without any recognition to her life of 72 years.

For you Mom...
    My Mother did not make any discoveries, she did not invent anything, she did not belong to any organization, she did not do anything out of the ordinary, she was a simple common woman (if there is such a woman), but she WAS something very special, she was A Mother.
    A Mother who kept her family together through thick and thin, even after her husband left her, and his children stranded in a foreign country.
    A Mother who wanted her children to grow up with values in their lives, even though it was during the turbulent 60's.
    A Mother who taught her children that all men WERE created equal and being a different "color” or "foreign” was simply another way of life.
    A Mother who allowed her children to make their own decisions in the important things of their lives, marriage, religion and their own children's upbringing.
    A Mother who did not criticize her children but let them make mistakes so they could have room to grow.
    A Mother who tried to help each child in any way she could without being over bearing.
    A Mother who chose to live in a Senior Citizens home surviving on social security, and who scrimped and saved so she would never be a burden on her children.
    A Mother who never said, "I need” or "I want” yet, A Mother who accepted help from her children, with gratitude.
    A Mother who buried a son, yet was able to comfort her children at losing a brother.
    A Mother who always said, "Things will turn out for the best, don't worry", and "Expect the worst, then only the better can happen."
    A Mother who was lucky enough to leave this world quietly, in her sleep at home, with no forewarning, so her children wouldn't be burdened with a long battle of sickness or hardship.
    A Mother who wanted to be cremated and did not want a funeral or memorial service, "or any other fuss". "Use the money to feed some poor starving person."
    She was A Mother who touched the lives of everyone she met, in her small but valuable way.

I can only pray that I too, will one day, be thought of, in such a special way. I'd like to think my mother is looking down on us, her children, and "feeling” our thoughts for her.

My son surprised me with this statuette of Granny and all us kids and grandchildren

I remember my maternal grandfather as being a quiet yet humorous man, he was Irish and my grand mother was Welch. DaddyTom (as we called him) died when I was just 15 so I was not able to get to know him as much as I now wish I could have.
   Thomas served in both World Wars I and II while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. DaddyTom was hen pecked by GrandMom, but he was always quiet and calm, I guess, he just let all the words run through one ear and out the other. He never used swear words, cursing for him was fun, "Dad drat it" or "Ah, your father wears Army boots", we never knew just what he might say! I've taken to using "God Bless a milk cow" another of his swears.
   Whenever DaddyTom and GrandMom came to visit I remember him sitting in the recliner chair snoozing and yet when ever anyone said something to him, his reply was, "just resting my eyes".
   God was good to DaddyTom upon his death, he was driving home from visiting a daughter and a few blocks away from their home he pulled into a gas station. DaddyTom told GrandMom that he didn't feel well and the attendant, who knew them, drove them home and phoned for an ambulance. DaddyTom laid down and looked at GrandMom and simply said, "I feel like I'm going..." and closed his eyes and died.
   GrandMom lived many years after, but my mother did not have a good relationship with her and hardly heard from her. After moving from the states I only heard about GrandMom through my mother and even then it was not much!

DaddyTom's headstone, also where we added Mom's ashes. (Memorial Day)

 Tommy was a real bully of a big brother and my sister and I hated him while growing up, natural for siblings. He was a quiet man, a loner, you could say. When we lived in Beirut, he could not work and sat home day after day, he could have been doing all sorts of things but chose to sit home. After 11 months of sitting he finally returned to the states. My mother and sister returned to the states and when my sister got married Mom went to live with Tom.
  She lived with him for about 18 years and was always asking when he would get married so he would have some other female to take care of him, jokingly of course. The two had a good relationship and enjoyed each other but Mom was always asking why he didn't have a girlfriend.
  Tom suffered a heart attack in 1985 and when he was much better I told him that with the new lease on life he should be daring and do something new. Darn if it didn't happen, he fell in love and when Tom finally married, Mom went to live with my sister.
  Just three months later Tom had another heart attack, Mom was at his side when he slipped away. Later Mom said to us, "I was there when he was born and thank God, I was there when he died".
  Years before, Tom had said that when he died he wished that his ashes could be dumped out of an airplane. Well, we managed it all! A friend of my sister had a small plane so he and my younger brother took Tom's ashes up and during a pass over a park he "tried" to trickle them out as they flew by, on the second pass, he managed to spill most of them then the bag just dropped! It was heading for the roof of a home but luckily missed and banged onto the ground. Mom finished dispersing the ashes and we put a large yellow bow on one of the trees in the park.
  Days later, the pilot told us that he had a student up for a flying lesson and the student, a man in his 30's, asked what the crunchy stuff on the floor was, the pilot told him the story and the poor man was ready to jump out of the plane. I think we did good by Tom and his wishes!!!! I know he will still be laughing at his 'burial'.

Over the years I have had many cats, but none was as sweet and attached to me as Angelena, she was a gift to my daughter but became 'my' cat. She was so kind and even when she was to die, she went upstairs to do it, alone. I was so upset, and still have a very soft spot in my heart for her. She has spoiled me for any other cat! In the picture she is standing next to her mate, Michaelangelo, each was a gift from a different friend and  by coincidence, they were look alikes!.

While living in Kuwait we asked my sister (living in the states) to find a German Shepherd for us, the puppy she sent, at 3 months old, was huge and grew into a fantastic family dog and protector. My husband became the "master" but Anter was my baby and not by my choosing!
   Anter (the name of an old Arabian brave hero) was as smart as he was loyal, once he couldn't find me and my husband watched as he ran to the front yard and looked for my car, it was there so he continued his search around the yard then into the house until he found me.
   My oldest son, would tease Anter over and over, one day Anter had enough and went upstairs to return with his favorite stuffed dog, not the one in the picture. Anter held the nose of the toy in his teeth with the body hanging, when he spotted my son, Anter shook the toy wildly making my son chase him for 10 minutes to get it back.
   An office worker of my husbands would come to our house daily and Anter knew him so allowed him to move freely in our home, but the day the worker handed me some papers Anter intervened. He grabbed the workers hand in his mouth, not biting but held it until I managed to get the workers hand loose. The worker could be in our home BUT not come in contact with any of us!
   When the kids and I went on vacation the first time after getting Anter, my husband phoned me in the states and made me talk to Anter because he was very upset at my being gone and would not eat. After hearing my voice, my husband said his ears perked up and he sat up and was very attentive and yes, he did eat that night.
   In the picture, the red badge on Anter's chain was a signal to the animal control people, that he was not a stray. In Kuwait, animal patrol men traveled the streets and killed any stray dogs to keep them in check!
   When Anter was 3, he got out of the yard and ate something in the street that poisoned and killed him. He was my special dog and I loved him, no more a special friend, could any family have.

My youngest daughters longest pet, he was born at home and died at home never having known the great outdoors! Angelena's kittens started out with aristocratic names yet when the 5th litter arrived the names were down to silly ones! Fatso was the biggest one of this litter and got stuck with the nickname, he was my daughters pet from birth and she misses him very much.

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