This holiday season comes with great sadness and thanksgiving. One month before her 81st birthday, my mom passed away and went home to be with Jesus. She died sitting in her chair knitting – the thing she loved to do best! This photo is a tribute to my mom and her “giblet gravy!” She prepared many a turkey over her 80 years! I am thankful for my mom and the 45 years she gave me. I have learned many things about life from her. Here are a few of the really important ones…
- Don’t try to sneak the cookies from the cookie can above the oven… she will hear you and stop you!
- When you leave the house always wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident and have to go to the hospital.
- Paper towels can be dried and reused.
- Vegetable bags from the grocery store make great snow boot liners and keep your feet dry if your boots leak.
- Never ask your mom (with your friend standing there) if your friend can spend the night …she will say no!
- If you run in and out of the house in the summer you will let all of the cool air out and the hot air in.
- If you don’t iron the moist hankies right after your mom puts them in the vegetable bag they will mold and she will have to rewash them… sorry dad!
- Ignorance is bliss…
- Your toast has two sides – the mommy side (the round end) and the daddy side (the flat end). If you cut it down the middle between the mommy and daddy side then you get both and won’t have to pick which one you like better.
- Eat your bread crusts so you can grow hair on your chest.
- If you scrape the excess margarine off the wrapper you can actually butter one more piece of toast.
- The easiest way to butter your corn is to roll it right on top of the cube of margarine.
- Butter is for the holidays… so is link sausage.
- You must have a half a cheese glass of orange juice before you open presents on Christmas morning.
- Baby Jesus does not get to go into the manger until Christmas Eve. He has to hang out behind the manger out of sight.
- When you call someone don’t ask “Is Julie there?”… of course Julie is there or you would not be calling her!
- Me and Julie didn’t do anything together, but Julie and I did!
This Thanksgiving I am walking between sadness that I can’t call my mom and ask her how to season my turkey or what is the best way to make good gravy, and being incredibly thankful for this woman who brought me into this world and built the foundation of who I am.
So, here’s to you, Mom! I hope you get turkey in heaven! I wonder if God will like your giblet gravy? When you teach Him how to make Grandma’s sugar cookies, be sure to show Him how to place the cookie cutters really close together to you use the dough space wisely! Oh, and let God taste the dough! I love you… your favorite daughter! PS – I won’t tell the others you liked me the best! 🙂
Thoughts and Reflections on Life 
Jenny, super big hugs to you, girlfriend! I’ve been praying for you and your family for the last few weeks. Know you are loved and thanks for sharing those sweet lessons that you gleaned from your mom.
So sweet, Jen! You have such a good memory. Thanks for making me smile in remembrance of our wonderful mom. I love you.
Jen: Thanks from me too for the smiles at those memories. I too wanted to call her last night and ask her how to make gravy. She finally gets to have Thanksgiving without being in the kitchen all day! I love you sis.
Well this just brings tears to my eyes. I have thought of you a lot today, and your entire family. I loved what your sister said about your mother finally getting a Thanksgiving off. I believe that the angels prepare a huge feast for people like your mother, and that they get to hang around all morning and relax until someone calls them to the table, then they get to get right up from the table when they are finished and go take a nap, no dishes! I love you, friend. Thanks for posting.