I love that I am so close to all 3 of my grown kids. I know I am their mom but I also think of myself as their friend. Maybe that is more my perspective than theirs, but that's ok. My day is the most complete when I have talked to each one of them that day. I was never close to my own mom and she passed away when I was 24. We didn't have a chance to become friends as adults. But I have been fortunate enough to have someone in my life that has been a wonderful friend and mother figure. My mom's sister, Rosemary, is the best example anyone can be as to what family is all about. She lives in Oklahoma so I don't see her very often. But I try and call her as much as I can. It's been a year since I have seen her and I hope to see her in the spring of '08. I can tell her anything! She is genuinely interested in every aspect of my life. She has 2 daughters, 7 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and actually more children, grandchildren and great-grandkids than that because she loves Vernon's (her 2nd husband) family also. She knows how old each and everyone is and where they are and what they are doing.
When I was young, growing up in Southern California, we would go to visit all the cousins every summer. I loved being with Kathie and Vicki, my cousins, on their farm. During the school year Rosemary was a high school English teacher. During the summer she took care of the family and farm hands. Roses (which is what I call her more often than Rosemary) would fix the equivalent of a Thanksgiving dinner everyday for the family and the farm hands. The big meal of the day was always in the middle of the day. Lunch was called dinner and dinner was called was called supper!! With her gentle smile, Oklahoma accent, and loving touch she made every visit special. At one point in my life when Ian was 2 and Brooke was a newborn we even lived with Rosemary and Quentin. Steve worked the farm with Quentin. That was a crazy summer! Farm life is a hard way to make a living! We learned so much that summer. You are at the mercy of the weather for the wheat and alfalfa to grow. One bad hail storm can destroy months and months of hard labor and that year's crop.
Having been widowed twice she shows tremendous stamina and courage. She is a true Christian in all she does. She loves her family and her Heavenly Father. I have never seen her angry or ever heard her speak a harsh word about anyone. She has a wonderful sense of humor and tells the best stories! I am so grateful to have her in my life and as part of my family. She is a true friend that I love very much. I only hope I can become a fraction of who she is.
