Monday, May 18, 2009

A Basket of Pansies for my Mumsie

Today is my darling Mumsie's birthday. What a wonderful lady she is! Some of you have had the joy of reading her blog. She is a talented writer, an author and a lovely person. Of course, if you'd like to read some of Mumsie's writings, you can find her blog in the sidebar of this blog under "Everybody Loves a Story." When you visit her, be sure to wish Mom a happy birthday!

On this day of Mumsie's birthday--I was remembering back over the years. Growing up, I did not realize the treasure she truly is. It took becoming an adult with children of my own before I understood her beauty and value.

Some of the happiest years of my life were when my family and I lived in Grammie's basement, next door to Dad and Mom. My husband made an office in the back of my parents home, and our two eldest children went to the school I attended as a child. It was a lovely two years. The children played in the canyons and fields where I played as a child. They found snakes beneath old boards. They made forts in the fruit trees. They loved the ponds with their flirty fish and numerous frogs.

Best of all, I got to spend every morning walking with my Mother. We shared daily quiet times, our hurts, joys and dreams. We laughed, prayed and cried together. What a wonderful time that was.

Mums is interesting and a LOT of fun. Her laughter is raucous, and unmistakable. I LOVE to hear her laugh. She is earthy, wise, compassionate and a little wacky. I treasure her insights. I enjoy hearing about her childhood. I deeply admire her ability to paint a story in words.

Though she has faced (and still faces) tremendous and terrible struggles, Mom rises above them with a beauty not often seen in this day and age.

When I was a little girl, Mumsie showed me the whimsical faces worn by pansies. Since then, I've always loved them.

So, here's a basket of happy pansies for my wonderful, wise, whimsical and wacky Mumsie! Happy Birthday Mums!

6 comments:

Clytie said...

She will definitely love the pansies! Happy birthday mom.

Margo said...

your childhood and mother sound absolutely magical. I'll head over now to wish her a happy birthday! The pansies are beautiful (My grandmother (Ivy) and her sisters were all named after flowers - the youngest one was named... you guessed it :)

JANN said...

Awwwwwwwwww this was so touching posts, how sweet you are and Mumsie! You are so lucky to still have this dear lady with you, I hope you have a million more days to spend with her.All the best to you Beth :)

Marie Reed said...

I'm off to wish your sweet Mumsie a happy Birthday too!

Lois said...

What a wonderful relationship you have with your mother! I lost my mother when I was only a baby, so I am quite envious. My daughter and I are quite close and the older she gets, the closer we get, especially since she became a mother herself.

Eva Gibson said...

Thank you so much for the beautiful basket of pansies you sent. Did you know that they were Grandpa Nickerson's favorite flowers? As I remember it he loved their happy faces and you know how he taught us both to see faces and animals in the clouds, the trees, and yes, the flowers, too. He's the one who taught me to look for beauty in simple things. So thank you, Beth and Grandpa, too for the pansies! Mums