My mom died from cancer in 1994, and I still miss her, as I do my dad who preceded her by five years (also due to cancer). They both inspired me in many ways. Mother’s Day has passed, but gratitude is never limited to one day a year. We have had an influx of family this month and work has been put on a back burner so we could all enjoy one another.
Parents, good and bad, teach lessons to their children. Some are spoken, some observed. The older I get, the more I look back on my childhood – and my parents – with love and respect. I am amazed at what my parents accomplished.
My dad was a police officer, and my mom was a nurse. But those occupations didn’t limit them. They built the home I grew up in literally from the ground up. This was during the 50s when permits didn’t cost a fortune and there weren’t nit-picky regulations for everything that prevented people getting books and learning how to do things for themselves. It took twelve years from pouring a concrete foundation, two bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen and small living room to a large home with private master suite, a large living room with a wall of glass looking out at a cabana and swimming pool, with terraced garden and a waterfall and pond. It was a common thing to see my parents come home from work and go to work on the house and yard. They did everything together.
I also saw them sit at the dining room table and lay out their budget, making sure every penny of their hard-earned money was used wisely. They lived within their means and managed to take my brother and me on yearly vacations (tent and then trailer camping) around the country. They wanted us to see as many National Parks as possible, and we did. They saved vacation days over several years so they could take us on a cross-country trip to Washington, D.C. They also planned weekend getaways every month or so. Pigeon Point was a favorite spot (before it became an official campground). One trailer camped (us), great fishing, beautiful cove and beach, and the magical sound of the foghorn through the night. We also loved exploring the sand dunes and digging clams at Dillon Beach.
Mom always had a notebook and pen, writing down details of the trip and kept a diary. When my brother and I dozed in the back seat (no air conditioning in those days – just crank down windows. Mom would say, “Wake up! You may never see this part of the country again.” We’d always camp near a river or creek so Dad and my brother could fish while Mom and I found flowers to press, rocks to collect, birds and bugs to examine. In the evenings, we’d play card games.
A couple of the many lessons they taught me:
(Mom) “It can’t be sunshine all the time or the flowers wouldn’t grow for lack of rain.” (Take life as it comes and thank God for every circumstance.)
(Dad) “If you apply yourself and work hard enough, you can achieve almost anything.” (Time is precious. Use it wisely.)