This is a picture of my mother, taken sometime during the 1950's. I don't typically share a whole lot of photos of my family on here (except for my husband and dog) because I want to respect their privacy; but most especially that of my father and step-mother who don't like all this social media nonsense. But today I'm taking a leap and sharing about my mother. I've mentioned her from time to time, though given that today marks the anniversary of her passing over 30 years ago, I am feeling drawn to share some memories of her. And hope you will enjoy them, too.
Thing is, I was pretty young when she passed away, but luckily, I hold some particularly wonderful and vivid memories. Still, I welcome more. So I asked my siblings, who are all older than me and have had more time with her, to share theirs about her. I am thankful that I now have these, revealing just how much she loved us, how artistic she was, and how great her sense of humor was.
Here are a few thoughts about my mom from some of my siblings...
"I think you and I carry a lot if mom's traits. She had a quirky sense of
humor & was very artistic. I used to sit with her as she painted. I
remember her teaching me how to paint seagulls. Mom was elegant &
adventurous. I remember how great she smelled and looked as she would
often go on dinner dates with dad. She seemed hurried a lot, like you
do, but I'm sure that is part if the controlled chaos that the two of
you are/were about...We were very close & I felt her presence the moment she passed in
the form of heavy static electricity. That was mom. She was a big
energy!"
(side note: Our mother passed away on Friday, February 13th. All the power went out in our house and even our watches stopped. I'd say my brother, Ed, is accurate in his insight of her big energy. Makes us all feel connected, I think.)
"She loved lightening storms and would make us hot chocolate. She
would put Cath on her lap and we would watch the storm from the window."
"Mom and Cath would draw with us, hand-over-hand ; Cath loved oil pastels...you seemed to be so enthralled as a toddler with how they looked on paper."
(side note: I still feel this way about oil pastels!)
"She would dress us up in bathing suits and send us out in rainstorms to
play in the summer rain while she watched from the porch with her
coffee. She had this smile that just seemed to exude pride and
unconditional love."
and, here, the impetus for my future life as an artist, designer, and lover of fabric... oh boy.
"One time Cath tore off all the backings of a ginormous box of maxipads
and lined a whole wall in her dressing room with them. Mom and I walked
in on you and you were rubbing your face on them and rolling along the
wall like a freak. Mom grabbed my hand and pulled me around the corner
so we could watch. Her whole body was shaking and tears were coming
down her eyes because she was trying not to disturb you. I will always
remember her saying 'I adore that little imp and her creativity'."
And the following are my own memories of my mom...
Before the days of mandatory seat belts and car seats, I often used to sit on my mother's lap in the front seat of the car on family road trips. During the day, I would close my eyes and she'd put her big sunglasses on me and then, just before she'd lift them off, my mom would say, "Ready for the sparkling sunshine?" And with my lids closed, I would let the sunshine pour through the window on to my face and I could "see" the sparkling stars of light inside my eyes. I thought it was magical. And, at night, when the traffic stretched out in the distance and the lights from the cars created a new horizon of images, she would say, "Look, Cath! It's a carnival up ahead!" She was wonderful with encouraging a beautiful imagination from the ordinary.
Watching her teach and seeing her with her students; even at a young age I could see how her incredible presence brought such love and understanding into the lives of these children. She had an effortless way about connecting with people. She was such a genuine and loving soul.
Mom would sit me down in the hallway and hold my feet while applying polish on my toenails. She was fun and silly and gentle and I think of her doing this every single time I paint my toes, even to this day. But she was much better at it than I am!
She loved people and loved having friends and family in our home. Food, drinks, music, and a way lot of laughter. She was a tiny woman, but packed a ton of energy and passion and great great love.
I feel forever blessed to have in me a part of her.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share on such a personal scale. It's helped me more than I can possibly explain.
Love,
Cath
