A Belated ODE TO MY MOTHER(s)

So Mother's Day has come and gone, and it's now Tuesday. I'm taking some time this morning to look through other people's BSM (Best Shot Monday) images, which means visiting the Best Shot Monday page ( http://traceyclark.squarespace.com/best-shot-monday/ )

and clicking on all the links -- scrolling through to see if they have, in fact, posted a BSM photo lately, making a comment here & there, etc. You get the picture {pun, intended!}. sorry it's grainy, but this is

Francie-me-Jay and our Mom - 1984

I came across the blog of someone in my adventure and it has inspired me to "borrow" her ode to her mother / the mothers in her world. I hope you find it as lovely and as powerful as I did. I've deleted her answers, and entered my very own.

My mother, Edith, died 5 years ago, and sometimes it feels like it's been 20 years, and other times it feels like it happened last month.

I have been blessed, however, with many wonderful "other-mothers" in my lifetime, and to them all, I dedicate this ODE TO MY MOTHER(s).

"In my lack of preparedness I have a lack of inspiration and I thought a meme would do the trick. I read some questions from this months REAL SIMPLE magazine and adapted my own from there. Leave a link if you participate I would love to read what you answer and if you are not a mother, still participate because you are an aunt, sister, cousin, friend and you fall in the mother category too.

My life has been blessed by MANY mothers: my natural mother, Edith (who raised me); a sometimes-wicked but sometimes wonderful (now ex) stepmother, Emilie, who taught me how to cook; a stand-in mother named Sandy, who with her entire family, took me in from Jr High on whenever my mother was in hospital; my other other mother, Melba, the mother of my high school sweetheart and the grandmother of my oldest daughter, Kristina; and my mother in law, Marion, my husband Mark's mother, who has become quite dear to me. They all, each and every one of them, have taken a role in molding me into the woman I am today.

1. What are some traits that you have picked up from your mother (whether you like it or not)? My mother (Edith) was very imaginative and creative, and her creativity sparked and inspired something in me for as long as I can remember. I eventually went into Interior Design, and now that I am somewhat retired, I am following my original passion for ART. My mother Edith was also a writer, and I do love to write; hence, my two blogs. I was also fortunate to have Sandy in my life, because she, too, is very artistic and creative. I like to think outside the box, and I owe that to them both. I do have to admit that the ONE TRAIT I got from mom, Edith, that I am not so crazy about - we both detest house cleaning with an enormous passion. And she was never a TIDY person - more of a "collector", esp as she got older - and I fight that battle all the time.

2. What is your mothers favorite flower? My mother Edith loved a fresh pink Stargazer lily. We shared a passion, too, for hyacinth blooms. I believe that Melba's favorite flower is the rose. And I believe that my mother in law, Marion, favors lilacs - although I am not sure.

3. What is a memory of your mother that you go to often? What, only one?! :-)
Mom – the time she was in the bath in the afternoon, where I was "never" to disturb her - and she got quite angry with me when I tried to let her know that our backyard was on fire. It wasn't until the firemen were running down our side patio with their fire hoses (and the bathroom window with no shades!) that she finally "got it" !!! And I always think of her setting me up with a TV tray and a box of scraps of ribbon & tissue paper, glitter & glue, and stacks of fresh white paper - so I could make a collage. And that she took me to New York City on several occasions, to see the fashion designers' new lines. What a treat!

4. What is your favorite feature about your mom? (scent, eyes, skin, smile, personality trait)
Mom – her strength and her courage; she was a fighter, to the end. Her sense of style.

Sandy - her kindness, her graciousness, her welcoming heart. Her intelligence.

Melba - her loyalty to family and her ongoing love & support of me.

Marion - her laugh !!! and her faith.

5. What is your favorite meal your mother made? treat that she baked?
Mom – my mother's spaghetti, and especially her lasagna - heavenly. And ONE TIME, she baked a fresh peach pie, totally from scratch - and Mom did NOT bake, as a rule. It was to-die-for and I talk about it all the time - to this day.

Sandy - any and everything Sandy made, was delicious. her SHORTBREAD is yum!

Emilie - her apricot turnovers and her prune turnovers. DEE-LISH-US. And she taught me how to roast the perfect turkey ...

Marion - her Christmas cookie "collection", especially her Toffee.

6. Is there any mother other than your own that you honor or think about on Mother’s day?
Aside from the MOTHERS I have mentioned & remembered above, there was one other woman in my life that had an enormous impact on me - my mother's dear friend, Dorothy Smith. She was my biggest fan, my loyal supporter, and being childless herself, she took me in as the daughter she never had -- she taught me how to polish silver! :-) And one other - Elizabeth Kitson, who was my godmother. Losing Dorothy when I was in 10th grade was a blow; losing touch with Elizabeth around the same time was doubly so.

All in all, I am so very blessed to have had ALL these great women in my life.

If you would like to see the original of this mother's day missive, you can visit it here:

http://simplyblogged.wordpress.com/