Reminisce

Last update 27 November 2007

Here are a few words my mother e-mailed me on the occasion of her eldest brother's passing. I found them quite touching, perhaps you will too. (Sadly, my dear sweet mother Dolores passed on March 23, 2007.)
Luv,
Lannie

Dear Eddy, Thanks for your kind words about Richard. Yes, he was my oldest brother. Then there was Eddy, but Aunt Peggy was the oldest of all six children. Richard was not a doctor, you're thinking of dad's sister Betty, who died recently. Her husband Adrian is a doctor but is retired . Now the three youngest of us girls are left, Aunt Annie, Aunt Terrie, and myself. Did I ever tell you my mother had ten children? None survived until Aunt Peggy was born, then came the six of us. In those days babies were delivered at home assisted by a midwife. My mother had a set of twins and two other children afterward. They were all premature babies and there was no such thing as incubators. I remember her saying the twins were so tiny they put them in a shoe box and surrounded them with a hot water bottle. But they couldn't survive.

My main recollection of my mother is of her working so hard. I can still see her slaving over a huge tub in the kitchen scrubbing all the clothes on a scrub board, even the bed sheets. The house only had two rooms downstairs, three upstairs, and no heat except for a coal stove in the kitchen. My sisters and I often wonder how she coped. It must have been awfully hard in those days--few appliances , no microwaves or frozen foods, and this was all during the depression. I believe my parents got through those hard times because of their unshakable faith in God. They were very devout Catholics, especially my father. Every night he prayed over us while we were either asleep or falling asleep in our beds. He was a good man. a good role model for us kids.

Thanks for writing. Now you are stuck with this jabbering of mine. We are glad to know things are okay with you. Dad said "tell Eddy if he doesn't write, the blankey gets it!" Remember the blanket that you were so fond of when you were little? I wonder what ever happened to it. I remember there being just a small piece left. Oh Eddy, you were such an adorable little guy. Now you're an adorable big guy! [..if they only knew! -L.]

Love,

Mom

First posted August 2001