14 posts tagged “mom” (page 2)
Which one of your ancestors would you most like to talk to?
Submitted by Kathy.
Ooh, this one is a toss-up.
I'd like to talk to either my mother's father or my mother's grandmother. Both had profound influences on my mother's life, and as she's had a profound influence in mine, I'd like to know more about them and really get a chance to talk to them.
I was the last grandchild to meet my mother's father; he died just a few weeks before my first birthday. I don't remember him at all. My grandmother took my sister and me to the Philippines to see him, and he died just a few days before Christmas. I can't imagine what kind of a Christmas that was for my mother. Both her children were in another country, her father had just passed, and her mother-in-law was annoyed with her because she wasn't being sociable. Little wonder my usually self-composed mother had a minor melt down and let my grandmother know exactly what was on her mind. And, amazingly enough, I think that must have been the first (and only) time my father's mom was at a loss for words.
Anyway, my mom thought the world of her father. One of his greatest legacies was his ideas on education, which he passed onto his daughter (who then passed them on to her daughters). He believed that a solid education was the greatest investment anyone could make. After all, someone can always break into your house and steal all your material possessions, but the one thing no one will be able to take from you is your mind. And with a good education, you'd be able to replace all those material things, anyway.
As for my great-grandmother, well, she was a clever and very shrewd woman, just like my mother. I think it would be interesting to meet her, just for a little while, and get to know the woman who knew my own mother when she was just a little girl playing in the guava trees when she should have been napping instead!
Ah, the things Moms say.
And the things I will hear coming out of my own mouth one of these days.
POSITION: Mother, Mom, Mama, Mommy, Momma, Ma JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required. RESPONSIBILITIES: The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects . Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility. POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you. PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis. WAGES AND COMPENSATION: Get this: You pay them! Offering frequent raises an d bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more. BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right. You know, I think the only thing missing from this is a description of the orientation process. But that's probably left out for fear it could potentially turn away some applicants.
Show us a type of art or craft that you'd like to learn.
I've wanted to learn to sew for as long as I can remember. My mother has tried to teach me a few times, but I have this awful mental block when she tries to teach me something crafty, and I haven't been able to master this.
My mom is an amazing seamstress. I say that because the woman can - and still does - sew some amazing articles of clothing. She made my wedding dress, for example, and countless dresses and Halloween costumes in my youth. She made some of my junior high school uniforms, too, and altered more dresses, skirts, and pants than I could begin to count. She has the amazing ability to look at an article of clothing for a few moments, size it up, then duplicate it. Two of my favorite skirts (pre-pregnancy skirts that I cannot bring myself to discard just yet) were made just this way.
The woman is a machine.
I never picked up the art of sewing, but, then, neither did my sister, so I don't feel too terrible. It took me years to finally learn to crochet (she's a pro at that, too), so I still hold out some hope that I may learn to sew one day.
My husband, of course, says that sewing is easy - you just move the fabric along and let the machine do its thing. Somehow, though, the sewing machine can sense that mental block in my brain, and nothing I try to do will change it.
Sewing for Dummies? Does it come in a remedial format? That's the book I think I would need.
