I've been meaning to tell you about my mom for some time. She was my hero, my rock, my partner in crime, my friend, my confidant. She taught junior high for thirty years and always said that it took a special kind of person to teach that age group, someone that thought like them. She was tough when she had to be, funny when she could, and always caring about her students. She raised my brother and me by herself, taking care of us, a house, a myriad of pets and a job that she loved.
Our house was the house that every kid in the neighborhood wanted to be at. She always had some kind of activity to entertain us. She made a slip-n-slide out of plastic drop cloths and cheap shampoo and said it was the best way for us to play since she could just hose us off and we were clean. I remember her sitting in the living room with a group of about eight or ten kids while she asked us questions from Highlights magazine.
That's not to say that she didn't set time for herself. She always told us that she stopped being Mom at eight o'clock, so whatever we needed we'd better ask before then. Then she would retire to her room, with a book and the dog, who we always said was her favorite child.
She and I shared a love affair with books from the time I was ten and started sneaking her Harlequin Romances. We would pass books back and forth so much that my mom, my Grammy and I would make notes in the inside to remind us when we had read the book before. I still have some of those books with the date, initials and a one word review of the book.
She loved camping and as soon as school let out for summer, she would have the car packed and we were off to the mountains. If any of you know what June is like in Washington, then you know that it rains, a lot. We were the blue tarp campers with flying tarps all over the place. I remember on more than one occasion waking up with the rain pounding on the tent while she told me to get dressed so we could dig a moat around the tent.
There are so many memories, more than I ever realized. I never truly appreciated how tough she was, but she was amazing.
My mom passed away at the end of October and it's taken me two months to be able to write this. So Merry Christmas, Mom, wherever you are. I miss you and love you with all my heart.