Memories of Mom Part One

Mother’s Day is almost here, and I have been missing my mom. Yes, it has been a long time since she went to be with the Lord; I do not wish her back- I am certain heaven is much better then here :), but I do think of her often. I was realizing not long ago that I have memories of mom that none of my siblings has. Now that is true of each of us, of course, – each has memories personal to them. But being nearly 3 years older than my next sibling I have a 3 year head start. Now if ONLY one could remember that far back!
I know she loved horses. The first race in the Triple Crown was last weekend I think. Mom loved to watch horse racing. When I was quite young we often went to the Calgary Stampede and always had to spend a fair amount of time in the horse barns admiring each one. I also have some memories of visiting the Duke of Windsor’s ranch in Alberta to see his horses.
Mom was an excellent seamstress. I remember the dress she made for my first day of school and how special and loved I felt wearing it. I also remember how unhappy, almost angry I was when she insisted I take sewing and tailoring in high school. Those skills have come in very useful a multitude of times throughout my adult life. I did not know until a few years ago that on her mother’s side of the family (Clipsham) , the girls/women were well-known for their sewing/dressmaking/seamstress skills for 3-4 generations back.
Mom was afraid of water. Correction. Mom was terrified of water. I am not sure why, but while she loved hiking and camping and picnicking in the wilds, and the thought of seeing a bear or snake didn’t cause much concern, the thought of a picnic at the beach brought fear and trembling. Doesn’t mean we never went to the beach, but she lived in fear the whole time we were near water. When we moved to Kelowna, where the lake was part of everyday life, we had to take swimming lessons because she did not want us to absorb her fears.
Much of my early childhood was spent moving. We were seldom in one place for very long. And many of the places were small and “primitive” by today’s standards. I was nearly nine years old before we lived in a place with running water (other than a river not far from the house), electricity, PLUMBING! I do not recall her complaining, just trusting God from day to day.