Welcome to Debbie-Dabble Blog!!
Along with a few tips on storing things in plain sight....
Click HERE if you missed that post!!
I want to Thank to Jennifer, over at Studio 27-By Jennifer Adams, for choosing my post, Antique/Vintage Thrifted Kitchen Wares, as one of her features from last week's Wednesday's in the Studio Link Party!
Thanks so much, Jennifer!!
I want to Thank Bev, over at Eclectic Red Barn, for choosing my post, Late Summer/Early Fall Apples and Sunflowers Tree in the Kitchen, as one of her features from last week's Wonderful Wednesday's Blog Hop...
Thanks again, Bev!!
I also want to Thank Beth, over at Creatively Beth, for choosing my post, Late Summer/Early Fall Apples/Sunflowers Tree in the Kitchen, as one of her features from Creatively Crafty Link Party!!
Please stop by and link up to these wonderful parties...
Well, the month of August is almost over and I say Good Riddance....
August used to be a month full of Birthday and Wedding Anniversary celebrations but over the years, with the passing of many family members and friends, August has become a month filled with sorrow and memories...
The last date in August when we would have celebrated a Birthday was yesterday, the 27th.....
It would have been my Mother's 106th Birthday as both my parents were born in 1919.....
I have not been shy in letting people know that my Mother and I had , what I call, a Love/Hate Relationship....
I made no bones about the fact that she was very critical of me at times which led to a lot of issues between us and there were times when we were not speaking to each other....
I even wrote about it in 2 different posts which you can read HERE....
My Mom has been gone now for 21 years.....
My sister and I have been orphans for 21 years as my Dad is gone for 38 years now....
Never ever did I ever think that I would become a widow at 66 years old...
I never thought that I would outlive my husband Joe, who passed away in April of last year...
I was the one with multiple health issues and Joe was always the one who never got sick....
Until , in just 5 weeks, he passed away from pancreatic cancer that has spread to the liver and lymph nodes...
I also never thought that I would become a widow at almost the same age that my Mother was when my Dad passed away unexpectedly.....
She was only a year older than I was....67 years old...
I do not know why but she seemed older than that....
She was never the same after my Dad died....
And even though she was a mess for the first year or so, she made some very wise decisions....
She knew that she would never be able to afford to stay in the house that my Dad built for her only 26 years prior...
It needed a new roof, sewers were being put in the neighborhood and it had a big yard that she did not want us to have to take care of...
So she sold their dream house 3 months after my Dad passed away and moved in with my sister..
My Mother was fiercely independent and wanted to live on her own...
I helped her find a lovely Senior Apartment in the town right next to where she had lived....
She sold almost everything from her home but kept the bedroom set that her parent's bought her for her 16th Birthday...
Funny but I took that bedroom set after she passed away and it has been in my bedroom for 21 years now...
She bought all new furniture for her new apartment...
She met new people and had quite a group of friends that she would have never had if she stayed in her home...
They played cards, bingo, watched movies together, went on trips and had Holiday parties...
She went on vacations with Joe and I and my sister and her family...
Here she is waiting with my sons at the Airport before we flew to Disney World in Florida....
She remained very active and watched my sons and helped my sister watch her 2 grandchildren...
Even though she missed my Dad terribly, she carved out a nice Life for the 17 years she lived without him...
She enjoyed the new friends she made, she spent time with her family, she continued to drive and in fact was still driving right before she passed away at 84 years old, she was adamant about maintaining her independence, doing her own grocery shopping, going to church every Sunday and to Dr.'s appointments...
Life went on for her and in looking back, she did try to live it to the fullest...
During these past 16 months since my husband Joe passed away, I have found myself looking back on what my Mother did after my Dad passed away for inspiration and guidance...
She became stronger as time went on, more independent than she ever was....
She took on things that I know she never thought she would be able to do on her own....
I now realize how hard it was for her and maybe even how fearful she may have been at the time but she did what needed to be done....what she needed to do to go on living..
Now I think about my Mother with admiration and even awe....
And I am so sorry that I never got the chance to tell her that...
That I was so proud of her....
But because of my Faith, in my heart, I know that she knows...
And I will try to continue to live the rest of my life as a widow like she did...
Because Life does go on.....
Since my Mother passed away, this is the song that has always been very special to me in remembering her...
Even more so now....
MAMA by Il Divo
Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!
If you do not have a blog, PLEASE give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment. If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......
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