Saturday, May 7, 2011

mother

today i celebrate my mom. she's a pretty amazing lady.
my beautiful mother
this photo was taken on her wedding day in 1968 when she was 21 years old. it's my all time favorite picture of my mom. and it's one of the only one's that we have of her when she was young. in 1989, we lost our house and all our possessions, including photos and this dress, in a house fire. and i'm so thankful my grandma sent me this picture a few months ago because she knew how much it meant to me.
my mom designed and made her wedding dress herself on the sewing machine my dad bought her the previous christmas. she made most of her clothes growing up and into her young adult years. her gown was fitted on matilda! she's always enjoyed working with her hands, whether making clothes, building houses, or working in her garden.
but on august 29, 2010 my mom suffered a stroke that has left her in a wheelchair and unable to care for herself. it's been a huge adjustment for our whole family because she isn't the same. she still talks fine, but her personality is different and she's just not the independent woman we all knew.
but on this mother's day, i am so very thankful that i can spend it with my mom. because no matter how things have changed over the last year, she's still here. i can still see her, hug her, tell her i love her.
and that makes this mother's day very special :)

14 comments:

Eleanor said...

An absolutely beautiful post ~ you brought tears to my eyes!
Enjoy this time with your mother and enjoy YOUR time too.
You deserve to be celebrated as well.
Happy Mother's Day!

Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing a little bit of your family history. it's neat to see how your mother's talent and independence has carried over into you! i admire your strength and hope that you feel appreciated by your boys on YOUR special day too! :) xoxo

Kari Beth said...

So touching!
Happy Mother's Day to you too!

Jodi said...

what a gorgeous photo!! she is beautiful.. and love your blog!! xoxo J

Annie, The Friendly Fox said...

what a beautiful photo of your dear mom! You are blessed to have her and to get to know this "new" her. Have a great mother's day, sweet momma.

The Semi Sweet said...

She was a gorgeous bride! How amazing were her sewing skills to create such a fantastic wedding dress? Have a nice Mother's day with your mom.

Melanie said...

This is a beautiful post, and you mother and her dress are stunning.
Thanks for the little reminder of what we should be focusing on this Mother's Day (and everyday); it's important to cherish and be thankful for the time we have to be together.
Happy MD!

Kristin said...

thats so sweet. the bond between mother and child is so strong and is a real gift. i am glad you can still show your mom you love her. :)

Julie said...

Beautiful post! Happy Mom's Day!

yelizabeta said...

your mom sounds like a stunning woman, inside and out. this pic of her is perfect!! i appreciated your post so much :)

Victoria / Justice Pirate said...

wow that is a tough thing to go through. I'm sorry she isn't the same person since being confined to her wheelchair. I know it was hard for my husband to adjust to his father being in a wheelchair after he had a tumor that paralyzed him from the upper ribs down back when he was seven, but to have to have a lot of personality adjustments would be definitely really really hard.

I love this shot of your mom from her wedding day and that gown is gorgeous. She really had major talent there. can she still sew or is that not possible since the stroke? My brother had a mild stroke a couple years ago and I guess I never realized how hard strokes were on some and a bit easier on others. I have a lot to learn about with health issues. That's so cool that Matilda has been used all these decades!

My mom got married at age 21 too! but in 1971.

Rebeccak said...

This photo is completely stunning - I cans ee why you like it! Best wishes for yuor mother today :)

hellnh said...

She's so beautiful with that gown.
I really love seeing wedding gown and wedding tuxedo and weddings as well.

caitlin said...

this is such a wonderful tribute to your mother, who is clearly an incredibly talented (and beautiful) lady. i'm so sorry that you have had more than your fair share of family tragedy, but at least you are all still together, which is of paramount importance. i can't get over how gorgeous that dress is.