{"id":1001,"date":"2008-08-12T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2008-08-12T12:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.drslewis.org\/camille\/?p=1001"},"modified":"2008-08-12T08:00:08","modified_gmt":"2008-08-12T12:00:08","slug":"good-ol-mom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drslewis.org\/camille\/2008\/08\/12\/good-ol-mom\/","title":{"rendered":"Good ol’ Mom!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mom<\/a><\/p>\n

Mom was the fifth child of Adam<\/a> and Stefania<\/a>, born on November 28, 1928. She was much, much younger than all her older siblings. So, according to Mom, that gave her a lot of freedom to “get away with stuff.” Stefania was pretty busy with tending to her grown family, so Mom kind of happily skipped along: “I never buttoned my coat or anything.”<\/p>\n

She, like my dad, spoke no English when she started school. But she never officially graduated from high school because she couldn’t stomach the gym requirement. No kidding!<\/p>\n

\"Mom<\/a><\/p>\n

She was always a working girl — a secretary for Crowley’s<\/a> and for R. C. Mahon<\/a>. And she took care of her mother most of her adult life.<\/p>\n

\"mom<\/a><\/p>\n

Mom is a quiet, behind-the-scenes sort of person. She’s the epitome of an INFP<\/a> — quietly observing, feeling, empathizing, and processing. While my Dad seems bigger than life, my mom seems <\/em>very much part of the woodwork, but looks are deceiving. Mom’s the glue that holds everything together. She is strong — emotionally and physically. She’s the exact opposite of a diva, but not in the home-spun, let’s-make-a-quilt-out-of-these-old-blue-jeans kind of way. She’s practical. She’s funny. She loves very deeply.<\/p>\n

Mom’s the kind of woman who really would rather have a new shrub planted in the front instead of bouquet of long-stem roses. She loves blue, and I think I’m drawn to that color in my kitchen because it reminds me of her. She is always looking for a new kitchen gadget. She picks up Chinese take-out for a Baptist pot luck instead of slaving over another pan among dozens of muscacholi. And when she’s asked for the recipe, she giggles and says, “I’ll draw you a map.” She thinks picnics are silly: “Let’s just eat at home and then go to the park.” And my husband still thinks she makes the best coffee!<\/p>\n

Her words still ring in my head:<\/p>\n