Originally Posted by Quilter54
You must have had a very patient (sp) mother. Had I done these things I wouldn't be around today to need an ID.
I suppose I did have a patient mother. She had a very hard life. I won't go into details here, but it began with enduring a military occupation in Europe, having the family farm conscripted and my grandmother forced to serve as a cook for the officers while my mother, suffering from scarlet fever, had to sleep in a trunk in the kitchen. Grandfather was here in the US, but didn't send for them for 18 long years. Life in the US was better, but not all roses. I was a menopause surprise and my poor mother probably thought she was done with at least part of her toils.
I truly believe that having a daughter who was such a free spirit gave her the permission to step out of the drudgery and explore her own creative side. Or maybe she was just too tired to get upset at that point in time. Late in her life she became an accomplished artist and musician - frivolities that life did not permit her to experience.
Yes, she let a lot slide, but her eyes opened to another side of life. Years later a childhood friend told me how envious she was of our family because we left the dishes to dry in the dish rack after supper rather than dry them and put them away immediately -- so we'd have time to go outside and watch the sun set or listen to a mocking bird's song.
So, perhaps you wouldn't have been around, but here I am - living the legacy of a mother who came to see life a little differently so late in life.