"You Kids...!"

I love Mom. She is so easy to please, and gets excited with the simplest things.  But tell her you've got a secret and she can't hardly stand it. (Personally, I can wait; tell me when you feel like it). So, the other day when I told Mom I had a secret, I was actually telling her for my own enjoyment. It doesn't take much to amuse me either.

The secret I had been holding onto was something recently printed in a book. This something is what Mom had a habit of saying when we were kids. I had the opportunity of submitting Mom's quote a while ago, and it came as a surprise to me when I was informed that it was included in "Mother Knows Better - Sense and Nonsense from American Moms" by Patti Murphy.

Being a young mother Mom had her hands full, and rightfully so. There were five of us kids all born within seven years. We learned to behave, mind our manners and show respect for our elders. However, with five siblings so close in age there were bound to be times when one of us would be pickin' on one of the others, Mom would hear about it, and it was then that Mom would express her now-famous saying.

When I told Mom about the book she had to have it right away. Yesterday she called me to tell me she had received it, and how tickled she was. She informed me that both our names, and her quote are on page 54. Oh, and she plans on carrying the book in her purse. Probably, so she can whip it out and make us kids read it if we get on her nerves again.

"You kids are bound and determined to do everything in your power to irritate me!" - Marilyn O'Dell

I love you, Mom.

Thought For Thursday - Death

Again there was another death in the family. Mom and I went to Owosso on Tuesday to attend the memorial of her nephew. I didn't know him that well.

As we were sitting in the church waiting for the memorial to start I was watching as people kept filing in the door. All the seats were taken, and there were people lined up standing in the back. I was thinking that my cousin sure did know a lot of people in his short 48 years.

I wondered how many people would attend my funeral. And then I remembered I wasn't going to have one. If I don't have time for my own funeral, I figured why would anyone else have the time. Mom had mentioned earlier in the day that she would like to have her funeral ahead of time so she could see who would attend. Oh, ...and she figured if she had it on a Saturday no one would have an excuse not to be there.

I looked around at the people who took time out of their day to say farewell. They would pay their respects, and then go their separate ways. Life would go on.

Death is all too common in this day and age. It seems to be everywhere. It is encoded in our genetic makeup; it's caused from environmental damage and diseases. Rarely does death happen from natural causes anymore. All too often we find it right around the corner or just next door.

The world may be a small place, but it's getting smaller with every passing funeral. As our lives intersect in such ways we become connected in grief.

But in spite of death's ever enclosing circle of creeping tentacles, the world keeps spinning and life continues on as if death was a short hiccup.

Yes, life continues on...

Monday Memories - Bridal Shower (1956)

Mom at her bridal shower

Monday Memories (1956)

Dad

Mom