Saturday, October 30, 2010

The Handyman

 Happy Pink Saturday!

Please join all the lovely ladies at PS.
Thank you as always Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

Happy Halloween!
Happy Day!

A house is only a home when someone loves it. 
My mother created a home for her family.
In honor of the Phoenix MS Walk the first weekend of November and Halloween,
I would like to share:
The Handyman
with you.

Part I
As a young girl I remember my mother as a homemaker. 
In the 50’s this was not such an unusual thing. 
I came home often from school to treats she baked. She was always testing recipes. 
Meticulous in her home design, she would spend hours poring over magazines for just the right piece to add to the home. Her favorite was a white ceramic cat that has been more than once been mistaken for real.

In the 70’s my family moved from Minneapolis to Alexandria, Minnesota where my mother and father found a large home that was desperately in need of help. 
The previous owner, with no homeowner association, had elected to paint the outside in several different colors as he found them. Yellow, red and green, with white trim. 

The house was a disaster which was exactly why, I think, my mother fell in love. 
This was a home she could really help.

After the renovations were completed, and her family grown, Mother decided it was time for her to enter the workforce. She took a position with 3M. 
Mother loved her job.
Working at 3M was just like when she worked on the home, she gave it her all. And 3M was amazing as a company. They wanted to improve and were always asking for employees to make suggestions and then most important, they listened. 
Mom felt validated as an employee working for them and loved her new vocation.

The day she lost her eyesight was frightening. One moment she could see, the next there was nothing. Allergic reaction they said. 
Perhaps some new cleaning solvent at work. 
Mother waited and was thankful when once again she could see. 
She went back to work. 
Only years later would we realize the blindness was the first warning.

8 comments:

  1. Jean, the mom described here sounds creative and loving. Is this your mom?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your photographs are wonderful. And thanks for sharing, can't wait until next week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Jean, You have a great weekend. Hugs, Carol mae

    ReplyDelete
  4. beautiful! Looks more like spring then Halloween. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Loved your Pink Saturday post. Your mother sounds so much like my mom. I think it was a generation of strong women.

    ReplyDelete
  6. *sigh* this is sooooooooooooo touching! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

    ReplyDelete
  7. My husband's mother had MS. It was such a journey and the grace with which she displayed was remarkable. Tardy Pink Saturday greetings and Happy Halloween.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by. I treasure each and every word, so please leave one or two.