This photo is from the start of summer, 1970. That’s my younger brother Steve in the red & white stripes (holding a paddleball), my older brother Duke in the glasses and yellow & blue shirt, our cousin Mark over for a visit and holding our dog Bone, my sister Shawn holding our sister Donda-Lin.
That’s me in the red shirt in the back, feeling a bit shell shocked and maybe I’m looking at my younger sister with some resentment, I can’t remember.
Right around the time this picture was taken, Mom & Dad told us that our sister Donda-Lin was getting too big for her crib, and Shawn’s tiny bedroom wasn’t big enough for another bed; so we’d be moving to an older but bigger house in the country. Everyone seemed fine with it, except for me.
Anyway, I was just thinking that Mom was 29 years old when she snapped this photo. And with 5 kids. How she did it is beyond me.
Speaking of moms, my new neighbor Sharon (I’ll be writing more about her in my next blog) told me she’d recently lost her mom, who was 91 years old. This is such a strange, sad coincidence. This past month, my friend & former coworker Lisa lost her mom, also in her 90s. My blogger friend Margaret of Stargazer lost her mom, in her 90s. My friend Robin from Canada just lost her beautiful mom, also in her 90s.
I can’t help but wonder, is it easier when you lose your mother at such an older age? I lost my own when she was only 64. It wasn’t sudden, we knew her end was coming, but it was still far too young for her to go.
Speaking of sisters, my youngest sister Courtney (who isn’t in that photo above, she wouldn’t be born for another 5 years) just turned 50 years old on July 2. She lives in Ohio now with her husband Robert, and has a pretty successful business doing first aid training in the corporate sector.
I can still remember the shock I felt when Mom announced she was pregnant for her—how was it possible? She was an old lady with 5 kids, she was 34 years old!
Anyway, Court was delighted to get her “welcome letter” from AARP, indicating she’s officially getting up there. I remember when I got mine 14 years ago and wrote about it here. Dammit to hell, now I really am old.
I’m also grouchy, I’ve been trying not to talk about it but I’m still dealing with inflammation issues from long covid. (Right now the center of my face feels like a bad sunburn, and the inside of my mouth is very, very sore.) I get 3-4 days of feeling fine, then 3-4 days of this crap.
A couple days ago at the senior center, I got a few raised eyebrows when I announced I was meeting up with some high school girls this week for an outing. I had to clarify that, I’m meeting up with my friend & former classmate Diana, and our former classmates Ruth Ann & Renee, for a visit to a local conservatory and then lunch.
I haven’t seen Diana since 2023. I haven’t seen Ruth or Renee since 1979!
At least I HOPE it happens. I really need this stuff in my face to quiet down. I’m a real barrel of laughs today, aren’t I…
Well, I know I didn’t have a lot to say or share here but I just wanted to put something new-of-sorts out there; frankly that photo of Connie & myself in my last blog is getting a little old. I hope everyone had a nice Farce of July, and as always, thanks for dropping by.
I've got the pre-marriage pictures of my mom and dad. Mom was 19 and my dad was 24. If they were alive today, mom would be 95 and my dad 100. I find myself disbelieving how fast the years fly by. My mother passed at 92. It is funny but I never felt old until my mom passed. Even my body has slowed down.
ReplyDeleteI hope your long Covid gets shorter. Covid was not the simple illness so many have made it out to be.
Thank you Ann, and yes the years sure do fly by! You're very fortunate, having your mom into her 90s. I hope they were good years for her.
DeleteMy mom was only 69 when she died. She had heart disease and numerous heart attacks. I still miss her, all these years later. Something will get us Doug. Hope your Long Covid will bite the dust.
ReplyDeleteThanks DJan, I'm very sorry you lost your own mom so young... to be honest, I think of you everytime I eat a hamburger. (Knowing your own family's heart history.) I really need to cut back.
DeleteI was 52 when my mother died. It was hard, mostly because she was a very angry woman, and I always thought we'd get a chance to resolve things, but we didn't. She was still mad at me on her death bed.
ReplyDeleteOmigosh Debby, I am so sorry. I had something similar with my dad's passing, unresolved issues, but moms are different. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteWhen my mom died, it made me the oldest relative on that side of the family. I was 52 and my mom was 76. We were so close, spoke on the phone at least once a day. It has been over 17 years and I still wish several times a day that I could reach out and call her again.
ReplyDeleteI was 29 with 5 kids too! I also wonder how I did handled that!!!
I am sorry you are still dealing with this horrible crud. Hoping you feel better for your mini class reunion.
Thanks very much Miss Merry... I certainly can relate, I was really close to my own mom as well and spoke often on the phone (but not everyday). I think you and my mom deserve trophies for being moms of so many kids before you were 30!
DeleteIt’s never easy to lose a mother no matter what your age. Mum died at age 72 (far too young) in 1980 when I was 35. Even though I was prepared for it, it was still a shock.
ReplyDeleteDad lived to 83, dying in 1987.
Incidentally, both grandmothers lived to 91, both dying the same year – 1970, the year of your photo. I turned 25 that year, 4 years younger than your mum.