Happy Mother’s Day

                                                       Mother and I  a couple years ago

Today we honor our mother’s that gave us life and spending hours sacrificing their time caring for us. Currently I am taking care of my mother as she is now ninety-six years old. She is pretty good shape for her age though she does forget things and time once in a while however as many of us are in middle age ourselves we can understand about forgetting something. I am thankful that mother doesn’t have dementia or any other illness that would be difficult to work with right now. I admire those who take care of one or both of their parents especially when in very bad health. I pray that you are able to get through the tough times seeing your parents the way they are instead of what you remember.

My mother like many her age has a story to tell. She grew up in Edmonton, Alberta Canada during the depression when things were not easy. She started college at seventeen. Her birthday landed on the last day she could enter the college. In those days you had to be seventeen go to college. If her birthday would have been the next day she had to wait another year go to college.

Another thing is that college education for a woman was not on the same level as it is now. Her father didn’t think it would get a woman to get ahead by going to college. It was her mother that college would help her to succeed.

My mother went to University of Alberta in Edmonton so she was able to live at home and walk to college. It was the depression so money was hard to come by for college. Her eldest brother Bob helped by paying her first year of college. Mother majored and graduated in French and minored in German. When she finished college World War 2 was happening. She received a call from the Canadian government about having a job in censoring. Other words she read the mail of the prisoners of war who came to Canada. When the war was over so was the job.

Her next adventure sent her to work at the Canadian embassy in Paris, France where she spent two years. She married her first husband who became   the father of my sister. This is where it is a bit funny or unusual she married and came to the USA as a French bride although she was Canadian. She had my sister not long after arriving in Seattle, Washington. The marriage to my sister’s father only lasted a few years and because of issues in his life my mother and he divorced.

In a short period of time my mother than met my father and then they married. They had my older shortly thereafter than me a year and half later and then my younger brother two and half years later. I can’t imagine having to raise three boys along with my sister.  Also my father’s parents lived with them when they moved to Gig Harbor. Before getting married my dad was living in Tacoma. My dad’s mother died when I was thirteen months old so they still had grandfather living with us. He passed away when I was nine.

When my younger brother Jack entered school mother and father decided that she would go back to school to get her certificate to teach.  My father had a drapery business but they didn’t want to rely totally on his income. So after getting her certificate at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma she started her career as a teacher. After one year at Jason Lee Junior High she went on to Wilson High School where she taught primarily French however depending on how many students were taking either French or German she taught some German as well. She taught at Wilson High School for twenty years and then retired.  For a few of the last years at Wilson she was the girl’s swim coach. They were in need of a swim coach and she was a swimmer at college too. Her age now she has been retired longer than she taught.

Like I say she has had an interesting life. Of course it is not over yet. She continues to have a fruitful life playing bridge a couple times a month and belonging to a book group as well. Also is a member of a couple other groups as well. The activities keep her mind going along with having a good social life that includes still going to church. 

So today is such a great day for us all to honor our mother’s for the sacrifices they did for us. Happy Mother’s Day to you all wonderful women.