My Long Line Of Moms

These are the Moms who have come before me. The top one is my GrandMemere. Her name was Blanche Eva. When I was a little girl she lived with my grandparents, but was already suffering from senile dementia, so I never really knew her. I believe this picture was taking in 1898 and may have been her engagement picture. I LOVE her hair and I know where my curls come from. She had a full head of snow white hair until she died when I was about 7.


The middle one is my Memere. Her name was Bernadette. After she died I found out her REAL name was Nina Bernadette. I loved her so much. She left school after 8th grade and worked in the cloth mills until she retired. She liked to read and do embroidery and sew. I still have the quilts she cross-stitched for my babies. I think she was sad a lot. I think she was smart enough to have been anything she wanted to be. In her 80's she suffered a stroke and although she could still speak, her "dictionary" was damaged. At the end, all I could do for her was sit with her. We would hold hands so tight, like we never wanted to let go. The memory of it still makes me cry. She died 9 years ago when she was 88. I still miss her very much.


The one on the bottom is Pauline Marie. My Mom. She's a smart cookie, too. That's her high school graduation picture. My grandfather wouldn't let her go to college, even though she would have loved it. Instead, she got married and spent the next 45 years taking care of everyone except herself. First 4 kids, then my Dad and her parents. Dad had a stroke when he was 49 and Mom was not quite 45. Dad made a good recovery, but Mom always slept with "one eye open" after that. Mom has always had a fascination with learning, especially about medical issues. She has been on her own for almost 14 years now. She needs a t-shirt that says "you've come a long way baby".

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.