Here are some of my memories with Mom. I wish I could remember more!
One of my earliest memories is sitting next to Dad’s little brown homemade stool in the kitchen next to the old black stove. On top of the stool is a bowl of canned peaches and it is my job to eat them. I have issues with canned peaches and I am not happy about being forced to choke them down. I don’t remember what happened after that. I was pretty stubborn and I’m sure there was a lot of drama. However, I do remember that after that Mom always made sure there were canned cherries available for lunch. It was probably a simple thing for her to start adding a jar of canned cherries to the lunch menu, but it meant so much to me.
Bedtime was always crazy because we were usually reading scriptures late at night. I loved it when Mom would sing to help me fall asleep she would often sing “I Wonder When He Comes Again” and she would sing all the verses! It always brought the spirit and helped me calm down. I had terrible leg aches when I was young. Mom was always so gentle and sweet about helping me. She would get a warm water bottle for me or start a bath so I could soak my legs.
When I discovered a love for reading she always encouraged me! She had to get a library card and I’m pretty sure they had to pay a little fee because we lived out of town. She would take me to the library and let me wander and look at books and choose as many as I wanted! I have so many memories of pushing the chair close to the fire and snuggling up to read in the winter. I know she let me miss out on lots of chores because I was reading and she wanted to encourage me. My love of reading has been such a blessing and I’m still use it as an excuse to miss out on chores!
One summer I got on a cooking kick! I didn’t necessarily want to cook anything useful. I wanted to cook muffins and lemon bars! I remember making batch after batch. Probably anytime I had a craving for sweets. Mom was so patient and allowed me to experiment and make messes in the kitchen. I learned so much and I still love to make treats. Although, now that I am the one cleaning up the messes I have a greater appreciation for the sacrifice it was for her!
Mom always encouraged me to develop my talents. When I was younger I remember having piano lesson’s with Aunt Beverly. I wasn’t very good at practicing and so I didn’t progress and eventually I wanted to quit. Mom was ok with that. I played the flute in middle school band and because I liked it so much Mom found out that Debbie Johnson taught flute and so she signed me up for lessons. She taught the Suzuki method and it was a really hard way for me to learn so Mom let me stop. I loved to sing and I have wonderful memories of Mom playing the piano for me to sing songs from Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera. I know she always had a million things to do, but she took the time to sit and let me sing. She also worked it out so I could take voice lessons from Lou Cheney. In high school, I decided that I wanted to get a little better at playing the piano and so she signed me up for lessons with Bev Richins. I joined Bruce and Linda Walker’s choir in Ontario and it was a big time commitment and cost quite a bit, but she was always on board with whatever was needed. I never felt judged for jumping around to different talents or for deciding to focus on other things. I’m so grateful that she supported and encouraged me with love instead of force.
During junior high I had the chance to be in a play and I got a part with quite a few lines! I started to get nervous because I wasn’t sure how I was going to memorize all of them. Mom taped the lines up next to the sink and practiced with me while we washed dishes together. I never liked doing dishes (I still don’t!), but I have such a clear memory of this experience because it actually ended up being fun! When I mentioned this to Mom recently she said that was how Grandma Esther used to memorize scriptures!
I played basketball and volleyball starting in junior high and she would take the time to run me to the store to buy Gatorade to drink during the games. Mom and Dad spent hours watching me play sports. I know it was especially hard during my 7th and 8th grade basketball seasons – we lost every game! When I had early morning practices she would wake up and make me a warm breakfast. When I came home late at night from games she would warm up left overs for me or make a grilled cheese. I never heard her complain about how much of her time was spent taking care of me. She showed her love in so many ways!
When I was in junior high I remember borrowing clothes from Mom. She didn’t mind when I would raid her closet or when I wanted her to take me to buy clothes at Maurices in Ontario. One time when we were on a trip Mom took me to a Goodwill and it was like heaven! We had such a huge stack of clothes. I still love to shop at thrift stores thanks to Mom’s example! In high school Mom made most of my dance dresses. I wanted a crushed velvet dress for prom and it was a tricky fabric, but Mom figured out how to make it work and it was such a beautiful dress! She also taught me how to sew pajama bottoms and helped me pick out cute fabric so I could make presents for my friends for graduation.
When I was a senior I had the opportunity to do a job shadow at Dad’s office with Mom. She was so patient as she showed me the ropes. She found projects for me to do so that I could learn- like transcribing dictation and data entry. She did a good job too! I used that experience to get a job at the BYU law school as a secretary to the law professors. I realized then how well she had taught me because I already knew how to do most of the things they required.
Dating in a small town can be rough. Most of the time the boys feel like your brothers since you’ve known them forever. Mom was so supportive of me getting to know boys from other towns! Derrel and I went to many stake dances just so we could meet people from other stakes. She even let me invite a boy from Rexburg to a dance in Weiser (a friend of DeLon & Lisa’s). When I was a Junior I went to All-State Choir in Boise and met a boy named Steve Dodds. We wrote letters back and forth to each other and he asked me to go to prom with him in Twin Falls. Mom found out that Steve’s mom was friends with Carol Soelberg and allowed me to drive to Twin Falls, sleep over night at their house and go to the dance with him. He was killed in a tragic accident my senior year and Mom took me to the funeral. When Mom met Aaron I’m not sure who was happier that I had finally found the man I wanted to marry – me or her! She was amazing at trusting me to make good decisions.
When Lanette was born Mom came to stay with me for a few days. She was incredible! She would wake up in the night with Lanette and hold her off from eating so I could get some much needed sleep. She made bread, cooked meals and sewed Lanette a little blanket. She was about to go home when I came down with mastitis. I was so sick! Mom just changed her plans and rescued me. When she did go home she was always available to chat on the phone when I had worries or questions about how to care for my first baby. I was so grateful that she had all the answers! I count it as one of my greatest blessings that she (and often Dad) were able to come and stay with my other kids when I had all of my babies. When I was in the hospital I could totally soak in the time with Aaron and the new baby because I knew that my kids were in excellent hands! My kids have great memories of Grandma’s food and watching church shows together.
When I came to stay with Mom and Dad for Grandma Beth’s funeral I knew that Mom was starting to have a hard time. I munched on too many treats on the drive to Weiser and asked Mom for some Tums before bed. The next morning when we were having breakfast and Mom and Dad were asking about how we slept I mentioned that I should have asked for a melatonin because I always have a hard time sleeping the first night in a new bed. The day of the funeral was busy! I ended up staying at Lara and Judd’s house playing games pretty late and so Mom and Dad were already in bed when I came back. In the bathroom on the counter Mom had written my name on a ziplock bag and put a few Tums in it. On top of the bag was a bottle of melatonin. Mom was doing what she had been doing my whole life. Watching for my needs and doing all that she could to help me. I couldn’t believe that on such a long, busy day she had taken the time to gather those things and put them right where she knew I would find them. Her ability to love and nurture others is incomparable!
