Where do I start? There is so much to say about her. The lady I’m referring to is my mother.
Her name was Donna, and she did everything for us growing up in that tiny little house.
She was very much a homebody. She was a stay-at-home mom with health issues and did so many things despite those challenges. With that being said she did all the things she could and more. She cleaned, she took care of us all the time when we were sick and boy oh boy did she cook. She was the best cook anyone could ever ask for. She made everything taste good. She could make up a recipe without even thinking about it. The most special times at our house were around the holidays.
She would make 4-6 different kinds of Christmas cookies per day. Every day when we would come home from school there would be a “sample” plate of the cookies that were made that day and she would even call in a “sick” day or 2 so that I could stay home and bake with her. She taught me everything that I know about cooking and baking.
From soups to stews, cookies, cakes, sweets and ohhh the homemade red sauce. That sauce is a one-of-a-kind taste that you can only get from being in the kitchen all day working on it. To this day when I take the time to make it – it smells and tastes like Christmas even if I make it in July.
My mother was always the type of person to invite whoever didn’t have somewhere to go for Christmas. Whether it was someone going through something or they just didn’t have family, there was always a seat at our table if someone needed it.
Halloween was always so fun in our house too. The Halloween dinner every-single-year was sloppy joe. My mother always said that it was perfect because you could make a big batch of it and keep it warm. Our house was directly across from where we attended grammar school so that was where everyone would usually gather. On Halloween we would have tons of kids coming in and out from after school until about 10pm or so. Of course that was when you were allowed to trick or treat until you couldn’t move anymore. Back then it didn’t matter what time we went until. My mother would always feed whoever came in that day and it would always be sloppy joe (with potato chips with the ridges).
Along with being an excellent cook she had talent. So so much creative talent. I remember when I was young she used to make those foam magnet things to put on the fridge. That was one of the first things I remember her working on. Through the years she worked on ceramics, cleaning them and hand painting them. She did a beautiful job all free hand. She also did hand painting on gourds. She loved to do it and I think it brought her some peace at times. She did not drive, she did not leave the house much if at all, so I think these things really did help her. Another one of my mom’s talents that she had was crochet. Boy she did a lot of blankets. They were called afghans.
She did finish several big ones but most of the time she would start something and halfway through she would want to do something else so she called those ones (half-ghans). To this day that makes me laugh every time I think of it. Thanks goodness she taught me how to do that because crocheting has gotten me through some of my very darkest times. I will tell you all about that in a later blog.
My mother not only taught me how to cook and make the blankets but secretly she also taught me why to do these things. I did not learn until I was an adult about how important sharing your gifts and talents with others would be.
At Christmas we share a ton of cookies with neighbors, friends, co-worker and family. We have also brought meals to people who were down on there luck, sick or just needed a boost of some sort. People go through all kinds of trials and tribulations as they get older. Sharing is something we all can do and when it’s something you love to do people really appreciate that. What is something that you are good at? What do you have to offer that makes you feel good sharing with others? Is it your cooking? Is it your time? Is it your patience to sit and just listen? Whatever it is I’m sure that you can find a way to brighten someone’s day by just reaching out and sharing the type of person that you are.
Thanks so much for reading the blog today- hope that you enjoyed it.
See you next time!
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