However, I didn't want to let this Mother's Day go by without letting a few special women know I how much I love and appreciate them.
Of course, the first one is my mother, Martha. Mom passed away August 27, 2004. I can't believe that it has been almost 6 years. Some days it seems like it just happened, then there are other days when it seems like it has been a life time. These past few months since Robert left on his mission I have thought about her often. How proud she would be of him, and all the advice that she would give. Here are a few things that I remember about her:
- she loved to cook
- she loved to clean and have a clean house
- she loved vanilla ice cream and orange cream bars
- she loved to travel
- she loved her grand kids
- she loved her dogs: Snoopy and Jeni
- she liked to play Yahtzee
- she loved her Pepsi with ice
- she liked to play Rook
- she liked to go to our cabin near Sonora, California
- she loved genealogy
- she loved going to the temple
The next special lady is my mother in law, Nonna Rosaria. She was so much fun too! When we first met I wasn't too sure what she thought of me. I had heard so much about "Italian mother in laws". I was kinda scared. We had a slight communication problem at first because she only spoke Siciliano and I spoke Italian. But somehow we worked it out, it took some time and patience for both of us...but it worked! She passed away in June 2002. She had Parkinson's Disease and dementia. She taught me a lot about being an "Italian housewife/mother". Thank goodness for her or Giovanni might have starved!
A few things I remember about her:
- she loved a clean house
- she taught me how to wash clothes by hand
- she taught me how to cook, Italian style
- she taught me how to clean, Italian style
- she loved to watch movies at night after dinner
- she loved gelato
- she loved her son
- she loved her grandson, Robert (she never met Brian)
- she taught me how to cook and clean several different kinds of fish. something I would have never done on my own
The last lady is my father's "new bride" Lorraine. She came into our lives in a very special way. After my mother passed away my father became a temple worker and met Lorraine there. She was a recent widower as well and they became friends. One day she asked dad to go look at a condo she had bought, then from there it was a lunch date, a walk down the river trail, and within a week they knew it was love and about 2 months later they were married.
Lorraine has been such a special gift to my father. She takes care of him and makes him happy. They laugh together, work together and it is obvious that they love each other. I have to admit that at first it was hard and odd to see my father with someone other than my mother, however, I know that my mother would be and is so happy that my dad isn't alone.
Lorraine has blessed each one of us in so many ways, but most of all for me, she has become a grandmother my to my children. Something that they would have missed out on. I am also thankful to her for being there for my father! She has made him so happy and these "mature" years of his life happy ones. He has a skip in his stride again because of her.
I hope these 3 ladies know how much I love and appreciate each one of them for their influence and love for me. Happy Mother's Day!
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