Happy Birthday to my Mama!

Happy Birthday to my Mama! She would have been 81 years old today. She passed away just after her 75th birthday after living the last three months of her life in the hospital. This is a picture of a scrapbook layout that I did about her. (I'm in the process of making a scrapbook "all about me" and these are just two of the pages about her.)

I miss her terribly. I woke up very sad this morning as I had been dreaming about her. She was one heck of a woman. She and my Dad were married 53 years when he passed away. During most of that marriage, my Dad was unhealthy. He had an accident that left him physically disabled. She stayed by his side. She worked right by his side in his TV repair shop (that's how he supported our family). She had such responsibility -- a disabled husband, a business to help keep going, and three kids. But, she did it all and found time to do some quilting. I realize now that quilting was probably what kept her going! LOL! I know it does me. When Daddy became unable to work and had to retire, she worked at the school cafeteria for extra income.

My Mama was my biggest fan. Whatever job I had, it was the best in the world, whatever I wore was beautiful. She loved every hairstyle I ever tried. She loved every quilt I made -- no matter how ugly! LOL! At the age of 72, she INSISTED that she have a longarm quilting machine. I tried to discourage her. I knew she was in no physical condition to do this. I talked to the vendor about it. BUT NO, (she could be hardheaded), she had to have it. So here we go, checking out machines and made the decision to buy a Gammill from Linda's Electric Quilters in Texas. Okay, she and I travel to McKinney, TX, for training. She got ill and couldn't finished training. But she would not let me take her home. She sit in a chair and watched me. When I went to visit her (I lived 150 miles from her), I would spend the entire weekend quilting her quilts and her little friends. She loved to sit and watch me quilt.

After she passed, I brought that LA machine to my house. I didn't touch it for a LONG time....made me too sad. I finally decided to set it up to use it and it had problems. Well, to shorten this long story, I took the head off and drove it to McKinney for repair. After explaining, the machine being moved, why, etc., the owner and her husband said they remembered my Mother. I was commenting that she didn't need to purchase that machine and Linda Taylor looked at me and said "You mother did not buy that machine for her; she bought it for you!" Linda continued to say that Mama had told her during the purchase that she was buying it for her daughter to use at her house, but I could not have it until she passed away. Oh My! I just boo-hooed and so did Linda! Thank you Mama!

Sorry to ramble.....there is so much more I could tell you, but this post has become long enough. Thanks for listening (or shall I say reading).