Not a physical hole but an emptiness and an emotional hole. All my life of 71 years I have had the love and guidance of my grandparents and my parents. First I lost my grandparents whom I adored and then ten years ago my dear Father. I loved and cared for my Mother though her sadness over loosing my Father and then though the dementia which was gradually stealing her away from us. Fortunately she only had a form of dementia that took some memories, but left the essences of Mother still there. She remained loving, giving and her sweet self until the end. I could not ask about things in the past but her love for the family remained.
There are no words ....to describe the loss of a parent. I was
taught by their actions what a parent is. I can only hope and pray that
I have done as good a job of being a parent as my mother and father
were to me. I am very fortunate for my memories go way back.
Mother was an exceptional woman. I was not an easy
child. As a four year old child I contracted polio. My beautiful
mother sat by my side along and as often as possible. She never let me
feel sorry for myself.
When it was time for me to start kindergarten, I had been
operated on and was in a body cast from my waist down. She found a
school program and ordered lessons so I would have a fun
experience learning. Again in third grade I was once more in a body cast and Mother kept me up with my class and entertained me and my little brother.
Through out my life there have been times
where she dropped everything to come to my side to help me with small
children when I broke my knee and was in bed with my leg in a cast. She
came to Williamsburg to take care of my youngest son, Lewis, and help
run our shop when I had back surgery in Minnesota. She unselfishly gave
up so much of her time in caring for both my family and me.
As
for being a grandmother, there was no one better. Just as she had once
invented a world filled with fairies for me as a child, she brought the
magic of elves into Chris and Scott's life. She showed them a tree
where they could leave notes for their special elf. Going to the
grandparents home was always special.
