Starbound Lovers

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

7:03 AM | Posted by woolfcindy | | Edit Post

My mother was a kind, but strong woman. She raised four children the last three alone. My dad died when I was five. My oldest brother was eighteen and rather than be another mouth to feed he quit school 2 months before graduation and joined the army.

Mother grew up in Texas during the Depression. She saved everything. She would wash plastic ziplock bags to reuse them.

She wore her bras until they had to be held together with safety pins. And she hated it when we bough her things. We knew she needed them and we, her children, wanted her to have nice things. She thought we though her stiff wasn’t good enough, which made her feel bad. But she was right. Her old, ratty clothes, her broken down appliances needed to be replaced. But it hurt her feelings when we never meant to happen.

I remember one summer when I was nine. I wanted to go to camp ID-RA-HA-JE. It stood for I’d Rather Have Jesus and was a bible camp. It cost $35.00 for the week. This was a huge amount of money for us. It would have put food on our table for two weeks. I never really expected to be able to go, but Mom found a way. I never did find out how she did it. I do know she was only making $2.00 to $3.00 an hours and my dad’s social security was less than $100 for three children.

She always managed. She taught us a lot about money, but more importantly, about what was really important. She never wasted anything. She always made sure we had was we needed and when something extra was needed and was IMPORTANT she made sure we got it.

And isn’t that what all good mothers do? They love us, teach us what is important and push us out of the nest so we can be the best people we can be. So we can make our mark on the world. Each of us in our own way, just as mother taught us to be.

7 comments:

Cynthia Woolf said...: Thanks for having me today. Please leave a comment. Everyone who does will be entered into a drawing for a paperback copy of Centauri Series: The Complete Collection. It contains all three Centauri books - Centauri Dawn, Centauri Twilight and Centauri Midnight.; May 16, 2012 at 7:05 AM
Anonymous said...: Cynthia,
A very nice tribute to your mom. I was fortunate to know her and all of the Cole family, and she was the glue that kept the family together. What an amazing person she was to us all. I think of her often, especially when I bring my granddaughter's to the library in Golden. I love reading blogs and love that you are such a wonderful talented person. You may of heard this before, but I think you are alot like you mother. Love ya and hope you have a fantastic day.
Delora Black; May 16, 2012 at 7:38 AM
Elysa said...: Your mom sounds like an amazing woman. How wonderful for you to have such a great role model. I'm fortunate to still have my mom. At nearly 88, she's my hero. When I "grow up," I want to be just like her.; May 16, 2012 at 7:44 AM
Vijaya Schartz said...: My mother was frugal as well, Cynthia. It was in France, and my parents were raising 5 kids on my father's railroad worker salary. Hard times made us kids respectful of hard work and to this day I can't waste food.; May 16, 2012 at 11:36 AM
Linda Andrews said...: Your mom sounds like a wonderful lady, Cindy. I think she knew you replaced her stuff out of love.; May 16, 2012 at 12:46 PM
GladysMP said...: I enjoyed your blog very much. It brought back so many memories, for both of my parents had grown up very poor and they saved in every way they could. I had a wonderful childhood, however.; May 16, 2012 at 8:10 PM
Leslee Breene said...: Cyndi,
A heartfelt tribute to your mom. How lucky you were to have her! I can identify with those early days. Both my parents were children of the Great Depression and I learned to value the smaller things in life. Worthwhile lessons.; May 16, 2012 at 8:52 PM

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