My Heritage–My Mom

Where to even begin?  My mom was born in 1946 in Louisville, KY.  My grandparents had either already split up or were on the verge of splitting up when my mom was born.  My mom lived her first few years with “Gramma Cruzie” this was like a modern day foster home, but it was before foster homes.  I know that this time in my mom’s life instilled into her a great fear of thunder and lightning (when she was little and a storm rolled through, Gramma Cruzie would huddle with all the children under the old spring bed until it was over) as well as a penchant for hoarding (Gramma Cruzie apperantly was a hoarder and lived in clutter).  She also had some anger towards my grandmother for visiting but always leaving her there.  My mom moved in with my grandmother and her sisters somewhere around the age of 5 or 6.  My mom spent a lot of summers traveling to Washington state to stay with her Auntie Nano (her father’s sister) in Enumclaw.  I know that when she was growing up that the family was Catholic – my mom was a “lapsed” catholic all my life.  I know my  mom took accordian lessons.  When my mom was in high school she met and fell in love with my father.  They used to dance in ballroom dance compititions as well as enjoyed bowling and cars – they both loved cars and racing all my life.  My mom instilled in me that life is to be lived, not to be wanting to live, she gave me my love of nature, she helped me to believe that anything is possible – I am not saying that life was all peaches and cream because it wasn’t.  but after I had my son we worked a lot of things out and she became one of my best friends and my biggest supporter – no matter how many mistakes I made along the way.  She passed away 2-22-07 after a week long coma after her colon burst.  this was unfortunately an unexpected complication of her kidney failure that she had been on dialysis for for over 6 years.  I still miss her very much to this day, and wish she was still here – even knowing that now she is in a better place with no more pain.  that is how humans are – selfish to the very end.  I honestly could write pages and pages about my mom, but for time and space considerations, I am going to end it here.  Know that it is not an end by any means, and I will wright more about her in later posts.

I hope you all are having a wonderful Daytona 500 Sunday,

peace and luv to all

laura