Celebrating Someone Special
Yes, it is Friday and Susan usually posts, but this week I'm filling in.
I've written so much here about my Mum, but there is another Mum in my life who I love very much; Paul's mum.
Mum B's birthday is the day after mine, so on Wednesday, June 2nd, we celebrated her 84th birthday. Now she does not look 84, does she?
The photo on the left was taken some time in the early 1980's, so almost 30 years ago, before Paul's dad died in 1986.
Our Mums were both born in 1926. Mine will turn 84 on December 15th.
They have been friends ever since the days in the 1960's when they would sit together after church in England and wonder if Paul and I would ever get together. They both hoped that eventually we would.
A picture really does say so much, and what you can see in the one above of Paul's mum, is the laughter in her eyes. Her eyes are frequently full of laughter and she is quick to see the humour in any situation.
She married Paul's father, who came to minister in the church she attended as a girl, when she was just 17! From then on she was a pastor's wife, and babies came in quick succession until their family of five children was complete.Paul was the second born; a child who tried the patience of his parents sorely. He could not be commanded to obey, but Paul's mum soon learned that he would do anything if asked, not told. In an era when children were expected to meekly acquiesce, he did not fit the mould. But although as a child he fought for freedom from rules and expectations, he and his mum have always had a wonderful relationship.
Mum B loves children and cherishes her grandchildren and many great grandchildren. Our children spent many Sunday afternoons and longer stays at her house when they were younger.
She loves animals, and has inherited many dogs that needed a home in the family. The current dog, Ash, a giant black Labrador,belonged to her grandson Matthew. When he moved out of her home, she said, "You're not taking the dog!" and he had no choice but to leave her behind.
She is a hard worker and still does a lot of her own gardening, in spite of arthritis. She also paints and wallpapers and when I accidentally sat in a comfortable looking chair at her party, that I didn't realize was the dog's, she warned me not to sit in the hairy and dirty chair and said that she was planning to buy a book on upholstering. She figured that she could do it. When I protested that it seemed like a big undertaking, someone pointed to the lovely drapes hanging behind her. She just made those a few months ago. Mum B will turn her hand to anything.
She is quick to correct Paul when he says the wrong thing to me in front of her (as he very occasionally does :))She is non-judgmental, down to earth, and accepting of people for who they are. And she is a wonderful role model of a faithful, praying, follower of Christ.
Along with many others, I love her and wish her many more happy birthdays.
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We had a black lab mix who went to live with my husband's mom while we lived in a rental home. It was just temporary...we thought. When we finally moved into our own home, my mother in law put her foot down and claimed that dog as her own. And that was that!