My Mommy Tribute: H is for Happiness

Everyone's life is filled with the good, the bad and the ugly. At some point, though, you have to let go of the bad stuff and move on. When you lose someone, you need to cherish those happy memories.

My childhood was a relatively happy one. I can't really complain about anything. Sure, at the time I would get mad at my parents for saying "No" about something. But in the long run, didn't I end up a better person? (At least I hope so? :-P)

So, here is just a random list of happiness with my mom that I will always cherish....

• Rocking in the oversized stuffed rocking chair after a nightmare.
• Crawling into bed with her when I was sick or scared.
• Having Mom tuck me back in after a nightmare and saying her favorite prayer from when she was a child: "Jesus Dear, be real near, for nothing then, will I need fear."
• Setting up all of my dolls for the Friday night marathon of "Dukes of Hazzard," "Dallas," and "Falcon Crest."
• Getting ice cream at Mr. Freeze.
• Eating at Big Boy before going bowling.
• Eating at Friendly's after school clothes shopping.
• Helping her plant the vegetable garden.
• Watching her and Grandma make applesauce, jams and jellies.
• Learning how to cook and bake.
• Laughing at her crying when my first lemon meringue pie came out "perfect."
• Learning how to drive.
• Putting together jigsaw puzzles. Oh, how I thought I hated it as a kid, but actually enjoy it now.
• Playing silly board games.
• Mom staying up late with me, taking my screams of frustration as I procrastinated, yet again, on a school project.
• Watching Mom color her hair, and the smell of the chemicals.
• Going up to Betty's house to get haircuts and perms.
• Easter Egg hunts
• Sitting up in the church balcony while she played the organ for the service.
• Christmas carols around the organ in our living room.
• Coloring books
• Shopping
• Annual weekend trip to Indiana to visit her sister and my cousins
• Hanging out with her mom, eating peanut butter cookies and drinking chocolate milk, while she picked fresh raspberries for pies, jellies and jams.
• Dragging myself to the annual family reunion so that I could learn who some of these people were
• The repeat stories of her limited babysitting experience.
• Calling her on the phone from babysitting jobs, to let her know how things were going and to benefit from her advice.
• Her bringing in all of the cute babies who visited our store, so that I could meet them
• Watching The Sound of Music. 
• Those rare family bike rides at the park
• The football game at Michigan
• Garbage bags for wrapping paper at Christmas
• Unwavering support of all that I did in life

I could probably go on and on and I know I have left off many things. But these are the kinds of memories in which I can wrap myself whenever I miss her.