Sunday, May 12, 2019

On Mother's Day



I lost my mother a month ago today. At the time of my last post, her health began to go south with a sickeningly rapid trajectory downward. She died on April 12 at 6:15 a.m.

I've still been reading, but the process of grief can be cruel and specific and I can't quite focus my mind on recounting what I've read.

In her honor, I'd like to re-post a blog entry I wrote a few years ago. Mom was no bookworm, but she knew I was a big fan of the "Little House" series, so she buckled down and read all the books, detailing her progress in a series of emails.

 She continued to refer to the books for the rest of her life, and although she didn't mention it in her emails, she was indignant about the part in The Long Winter in which Pa goes over to visit Almanzo and his brother and eats pancakes then returns home and eats the meager meal Ma has prepared, never letting on that he had pancakes while he was out. Our revisiting of this usually revolved around our trips to IHOP.

My mom was a champion at shopping and bought me countless gifts over my lifetime, but this was one of the best I ever received. I can imagine her snort and the skeptical raised eyebrow in response to that statement.

Thank you again, Judy Sue Stouffer Thomas 1938-2019.

Mom's a Bonnethead!

2 comments:

Sam said...

So sorry to hear that you've lost your mom. The grieving process is a bear, so take your time with it and do what's right for you. I remember her well from your posts from the last few years, and can only imagine how much you miss her. My father is 97 now and still going strong, but I suspect that his end will come as rapidly as what you describe for your mother. Time is so cruel..

Unruly Reader said...

Oh, dear Bybee. This is breaking my heart, even as I read your mom's commentary on the Little House books and laugh out loud at her pointed observations -- and then feel even more melancholy. (But seriously: she was always right!) I believe I've discovered one of the sources of your wit. This world's lost a good one.

Thinking of you daily during these hard days--