Today would have been my mother's 82nd birthday.
We used to tease her about the gift-giving challenge caused by having a birthday three days after Christmas. (To add to that, their wedding anniversary was December 14!). I look around at all the things I have that came from our parents, either as gifts or as inheritance--from the family antiques to the bathroom wastebasket. That purchase (post-Christmas 2001) was her way to demonstrate that even though she was so ill she could keep up with the ads and want to have some home improvement, however modest. She gave me the money and asked me to go to Kohl's to buy the wastebasket. IIRC it was $35, way more than she would ordinarily have spent, but she decided to keep it. That's a lot more than I'd spend on a bathroom wastebasket, too! (I can imagine her saying, "I'm glad you're getting good use out of it, dear.")
Far beyond things, of course, are the values that she and Dad taught. Another piece I kept is a cross-stitch picture that I made for Mother. The message, attributed to John Wesley, describes her so very well.
The picture and the wastebasket (!) are pictured here. The wastebasket is on the counter just for photography purposes . . . My next blogging lesson is to figure out how to put photos into the middle of posts.
I got a good laugh that the waste basket was on the counter for photo purposes only!
ReplyDeleteGreat entry, I love how you can hear her saying she is glad you are getting good use out of it:)
ReplyDeleteAfter you write your post, just click and drag the pictures where you want them.
My Mom's birthday is in December too! Also My Dad and Grandpa. Sooooo many presents...