Moving on to day 3...
Here's #3:
Describe your relationship with your parents.
First of all, I love my mom and dad, very much. I have always been close to them.
My memories of my mother, growing up, are of her and I, cooking in the kitchen. I suppose it was her that planted the love of cooking, in me. Looking back, I'm sure she had the patience of a saint to teach me how to really cook...
I also love what a Godly woman she is. I know that she believes in the Lord, with all her heart. When I was in high school, I watched her go through my parents divorce. It was awful seeing her hurt so bad...but never once did she falter in her relationship with God. I've always appreciated that about her.
My mom is also very crazy sometimes (not in a bad way)...and I love the wacky, crazy things she does. My siblings and I love to tease her, because she asks us the SAME THINGS, time and time again. Never changes. And, she has to talk with her hands...if she had her hands tied together, she would be mute.
That is something else I will always remember about my mother: the shape of her hands...they are so pretty. Mine are boxy and ugly...but my moms are pretty and dainty. I love them...I can still see in my minds eye, laying on her lap somewhere, with her hands stroking my hair...ah, the sweet touch of a mothers love.
Oh, and one more thing: whenever I smell Opium or Cinnabar, I think of my mom...she always used to wear those perfumes. To this day, whenever I smell them, I think of her.
She is a sweet woman, one that would do almost anything for you. I love her.
Now, my dad...
My dad...looking back, I don't know that I would classify myself as being somewhat of a "daddy's girl"...I really would say I was my "parents' girl"...now, may be a bit of a difference though. I love my father, so much...I think he's just about the best man that God has ever placed on this planet. He is wise, loyal and loving.
What I remember about my childhood, from my dad, was what an amazing preacher he was. Looking back, I wish that I could go back and listen to his sermons, knowing what I know now in my life. What does a 10 year old know about a sermon? I wish I could go back in time and listen to him preach again.
I remember playing Colecovision (video game) with my dad...we would have these challenges with Pinball and Frogger...it was intense, let me tell you.
It was also into my young adult years that I figured out a trick of my dads...for every occasion where you would receive a gift, my dad would ALWAYS guess what we gave him...He would shake the box and say to us: "I think it's a shirt", or "I think it's a tie"....we would then say "oh man...how did you know??" He would just laugh...it was years before I figured out that he didn't know...we would tell him by our reaction.
Incidentally, I also love my dad's hands...I love the shape of them and how it feels when he pats my back when he hugs me. He used to wear this really nice black onyx ring...I always loved how that looked.
My dad is still the person I call when I'm upset about something. He is still the one that I trust probably more than anyone else...and he's the one that I call when I have a problem that I can't figure out.
I am so thankful for the parent's I have. They are both amazing people...I am blessed beyond measure to have them as mine.
I love you, Mom & Dad.
Describing my relationship with my parents is difficult. Growing up, they were not always supportive of my extra activities. I grew up missing out on a lot of things. I grew up with parents that I knew loved me greatly, but as the youngest of 6 kids to support, it wasn't always easy for them to be with me. Much of my younger life my mother worked 2nd shift and I hardly ever saw her. She never saw any of my chorus concerts, never saw me cheer for a game, never saw me play volleyball or softball. My father is a great man and I do recall him at a couple of my football games that I was cheering for, but not much else. Both generally worked on weekends too, so that wasn't a lot of time for us either.
ReplyDeleteThey have always been fairly easy-going people. I do recall the first day I saw fear in their eyes. I was 17 and brought the Army recruiter to our house to get the signatures needed for me to enlist. My father was proud, but worried as he was in the Air Force during Vietnam. My mother was proud, but on the verge of a breakdown. See not only was her baby leaving, but she felt as she had failed me. Just before I enlisted, both of my parents found great daytime jobs. It was just the 3 of us left at home and it was our dream coming true. Family dinners together, we were planning a vacation to celebrate my graduation, which in 17 years, we had gone on 1 vacation. Well vacation got cancelled as there were so many people to visit before I shipped out. The day I left was heartbreaking for both of my parents and that is when things started to change for us. My parents drove from Iowa to South Carolina for my basic graduation, they watched me march across the graduating field, they attended my AIT graduation, yet another great point in my life they were able to watch! My first duty station was Fort Polk, Louisiana and they visited often! Then I deployed to Bosnia, they bought a computer to keep in touch & spent hundreds of dollars on calling cards. They were there before I left and the first faces I saw when I returned a year later! The first plane ride they ever took (except for my father in the Air Force years before) was to fly to Hawaii when I got stationed there! In the 3 years I lived in Hawaii, they came out 6 times! They found our house here in Clay & spent many weekends back & forthing from Iowa to Kansas looking at houses we saw on the internet from Hawaii.
I think I've always been a "daddy's girl", but my mother and I have an inseperable bond also. I text my mother every morning to make sure they are ok. We talk all the time. I can call my dad and talk to him about anything. I'm pretty busy with this wonderful family of my own that I have, so I can not always get back home as often as I like, but they help make it easier by coming here atleast once a month.
I have the most amazing parents in the world and I can't imagine life without them. They are huge supporters of everything my kids do and we would be lost without them! Its been a long run, but everytime we are together, its like making up for lost time. My mother & I cook and bake together, my father and I love nothing better then cheering on a Hawkeye or Steelers game together.
I have always known that they wanted to be there for me, they just weren't always able to. I can't say I forgive them for that, because there is nothing to forgive them for. They did what they needed to do to keep our family safe and healthy and were and are great providers!!!
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Aah, thanks so much for sharing Jenell! I'll bet it was so hard and scary for them to have the Army recruiter show up with you...its so hard to watch someone you love do something that is scary! I'm sure you know too that in their own way, because of their commitment to support you and your siblings, they were still there for you. I think about how it is with my kiddos...I wish I could be there for more things for them, but the reality is that I have to work. Its rough! But, I think if we make the moments that we do share special, that's what they will remember :)
DeleteThis one made me cry. Love both of your parents and I think they are amazing people. Okay onto mine. Love both my parents. My dad is deceased. So I will tackle him first. He was very "John Wayne" like, gruff but sweet once he figured out you weren't a big pile of pooh to waste any time on. He had the ability to cut through crap very quickly. Whenever I left the house his words of wisdom were "Use your manners". I still think about that when I interact with people. When I would swear he would say "Danielle don't talk so common." There was definitely a double standard in our house for me and my brothers. My favorite memories are playing catch in the front yard, marco polo in the house, making fruit salad on Thanksgiving, and just some good wholesome family time.
ReplyDeleteMy mom is great. She can conjure up many reactions in me though. She has always encouraged me to be independent. Watched her take care of my dad after a serious car accident and the brain cancer. Learned that marriage commitment goes past the rainbows and butterflies. When you have to change your spouses diaper or he doesn't know who you are after 29yrs together, how are you going to respond? My favorite mom memories she use to answer the door when we got home from school and pretend she didn't know who we were, we would have a snack or dinner and she would tell us she put something "special" in our food to make us sleepy, cooking special meals together, and just having coffee together. Some of you may look at my mom memories in horror but when your a housewife of three you got to get your kicks somewhere.
My parents marriage was not always perfect. It was two flawed people committed to making it work. And I love them both.
Oh, I love your mom and dad so much...I can see your dad saying that to you...with that frown he used to give. He was truly a great man :) To this day, I still tell the story of how your mama would ask us where we were off too, on a Sunday night, Bibles in hand...around 6 p.m.... :) Love you.
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