Memories of Mothers and Grandmothers

(L to R) Withycombe, Charlotte, Wood, Marilyn & King, Linda
abt. 1966

That's me with the two best mothers I've ever known.  So much of who we are as people comes from our parents.  And, in my family, the mother was responsible for bringing up the children.  This photo appears to be taken in front of our church in St. Petersburg, Florida--Fifth Avenue Baptist Church.  St. Petersburg was always home, as we moved from one duty station to the next.  We had just returned from Scotland, and mom was just a few months pregnant with my brother.  We would remain in St. Petersburg until after his birth in September and then join my dad in Hawaii.

Mom often told me how hard it was, particularly around this time to have to travel without my dad, with an infant and a 3-year-old, pretty much across the world.  I always remember Mom having an extraordinary amount of patience and long-suffering, which I always admired.  As a young Navy wife, she had to uproot her family and pack us up every 2-3 years.  As an adult, I can't imagine having to pick up and move that often.  I know she missed her mother, and back in those days, letter writing was the only option and they wrote every week or two to stay in touch.  My grandparents did come visit us on several occasions, including overseas trips to Scotland and Panama. 

My grandfather was in the Coast Guard for 30 years, so my mother moved as well, but not as often as we did.  She moved from her native Massachusetts to St. Petersburg, Florida, and attended Southside Elementary in 1946, and relocated again during high school to Rockville, Maryland, while her grandparents stayed in St. Petersburg.  Mom remembered how hard it was moving during high school.  I did the same, relocating from Okinawa, Japan back St. Petersburg in my Sophomore year.  "Take regular classes you can transfer," she said, recalling some of the credits she lost when she moved.  One of the qualities of a good mom is passing on wisdom to the next generation.  No mom wants to see her children make the same mistakes. 

I have warm, wonderful memories of being at home with Grandma and Granddad in St. Petersburg.  From mile-high ice cream cones at Webb's City, relaxing in the inner tube at Passagrille Beach, digging for baby crabs at Bay Pointe park, baking with Grandma and my most favorite, cuddling up for storytime with Grandma.  My favorite book was, "The Little Engine that Could," and Grandma always read the story with great feeling and emotion.  We'd be snuggled on the couch and I'd get caught up in the story and not want it to end.  Those were precious times that I'll always treasure.  I learned how to bake at my grandmother's elbow.  Molasses cookies, apple pie, homemade brownies, and bread pudding were some of her specialities.  Mom's baking skills were limited to Tollhouse cookies, and I was responsible for most holiday baking as an adult. 

Four Generations

I miss both of these women more than I can express.  As with most things in our lives, we don't truly miss our loved ones until they are gone.  I was very blessed to have had these wonderfully strong and loving women in my life and on this Mother's Day, I salute them.