Mom

Photo of my mom when she was at the beach

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then clearly I don’t need to say a thing.

But I will.

In honor of my mom, on what would have been her 77th birthday, I’m breaking every blogging rule out there and going “off topic.” Forgive me for this indulgence, but here’s to the beautiful person who brought me into this world and helped make me who I am today. Her spirit, love of life and knee-slapping laughter will always be carried deep in the crevices of my heart.

Photo of my mom when she was a young girl

Photo of mom in her Pendleton suitPhoto of mom laying on the grassPhoto of mom Bruno Stuios

Photo of my family when I was an infant

Photo of mom, me and Olivia

28 thoughts on “Mom

  1. How wonderful of you to do this! i am going to have to do the same thing for my grandmother. And dont aplogise for going off topic, a writers blog is all about the writer and all that makes up a writer. Very nice!

  2. Great pics! She was such a riot. She and Grandma Kate together really showed me what having such a loving, hilarious sister can do for the soul. Miss them, and thank you for keeping their memory so fresh in our minds :)

  3. Ok, this post made me tear up… i absolutely LOVE the pictures! I knew Olivia looks like you, of course, but didn’t realize how much she looks like your mom too. Amazing! And the Green family photo is classic. Can’t imagine how much you miss her (and your dad.)

    Love….Laura

    • Laura–so glad you enjoyed the pictures. It was fun to post them and celebrate my one-of-a-kind a mom. She was a character in every sense of the word (as you know)! And yes, Miss O has inherited not only her looks, but a few of her personality traits too. Good stuff! And the Green Family photo? Gotta love it. I especially love Scott’s bow tie–not to mention the pride on Tim’s face holding his baby sister.

  4. Happy Birthday Aunt Pat! Are you sure today is the day OR was it yesterday? The question remains unanswered. I sure miss all of our great ladies. What times we had together. Miss you guys hope you can make a trip up to see us soon.

    • Carrie, it’s so nice to hear from you and know you’re reading my blog! I’m sure Mom is smiling down on this love fest she is feeling here today.

      Ha! Good question about the date of her birthday! Was it the 23rd or the 24th? Only mom could get away with celebrating her birthday on two days because her mom and her doctor couldn’t agree on what time/day she was born. I believe her birth certificate said 12:01 on the 24th, but Grandma “Damn well knew better that it was 11:59 on the 23rd!” I think I know where Mom’s stubbornness may have come from! : -)

      And yes, I miss our great ladies too, but at least we still have your great lady!

  5. Becky, thank your for sharing your Mom with us today. Celebrating on your blog couldn’t be more appropriate as you rejoice in one the most important “improbable lives” you have known.

    • Stephanie, sharing my mom today has had me smiling from the inside out. I’m glad you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed creating it. As I was looking back at old pictures, etc., it struck me that I never went a single day of my life without feeling loved by my mom. To me that says everything–especially since I’m sure, like all kids, I was probably a piece of work at times. That is a gift I’ll always carry with me, and hopefully pass down to Olivia.

  6. Becky – You, my love, are a free spirit as well, and have my permission to blog about anything your heart desires. The first picture reminds me of the “you” I know, outdoors playing in the wind. What a tender tribute to the woman resting in “the crevices of your heart and living in the genes of your darling daughter . . .

    • Thanks, Nancy! It was a treat to share my mom with you. I think you really would have enjoyed her. She LOVED to tell a story, and especially ones filled with details. If she had lived longer, I think writing could have been her future. I still have a compendium of poetry she wrote over the years, including a beautiful poem she wrote for me when I graduated from high school. She was something!

  7. I don’t know that this is breaking any rules . . . Seems to me more like a variation on a (blogging) theme than something ‘off topic’. Let’s hear it for the spirit of mothers made manifest in spirited daughters. These photos are wonderful.

    • Breaking rules is often what makes life most interesting anyway!

      And “Hoooyaaa” for spirited mothers! On the surface you never would have known my mom was a tough cookie, but she taught me a whole lot about how to be strong–purely by how she navigated through life when she was handed buckets of lemons multiple times.

    • Thanks, Kristine. I’m thankful to have that last photo of the three of us. Jeffrey took it on my mom’s last visit to Colorado just before she got really sick. She was never so happy as when she was being “Granny Green” to Olivia. That picture will always remind me of what a special connection they had.

  8. Thanks for sharing your Mom with us. My favorite Aunts birthday is today also, we lost her too early as well. Thinking of you Olivia and your Mom today, October 23rd 2011. With love, Nance

    • Ann, it’s a treat to “share” my mom with you! You would have loved her. She had THE best sense of humor. Half the time she’d start telling a story, then begin laughing so hard about what she was trying to tell us that she couldn’t even finish the story. We had no clue what she was even trying to tell us, but she was so damn funny we’d all be bawling too. Great memories of my truly one-of-a-kind mom.

    • Lori, all the pictures are of my mom, but you can see that Olivia and I both inherited a few of her genes. I have a cousin and a niece who also look a lot like her. I think her strong will also came through in her strong genes!

    • Where would I even begin with the “mother of all back stories?” : – )

      Here are a few words that describe who my mom was: warm, personable, chatty, caring, funny, hard-working, stubborn, resourceful, independent, vulnerable, loving.

  9. This is the best one yet! Wonderful photos that capture your mom’s spirit and adventure. She would love to know she’s being honored in this way. And, I see Olivia so completely in the photos. Do something special in honor of mom today! xox

  10. I am not sure whether a picture worth a thousand word or not! but for me one word that is “Mom” worth more than a thousand words. And obviously its not a big deal to break all the rules of this blogging world when it comes to mother, because mothers broke all the rules of this real world to make her children happy & successful!! So they worth it.

    • You couldn’t have said this better! Mothers do break all the rules to make their children happy and successful. My mom sacrificed much for me so it gives me tremendous happiness to able to celebrate the wonderful person she was. Thanks for your comment.

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