On this day, April 13th, in 1917…..

My Mom was born! Happy Birthday Mom

Mom was born in Winnipeg Manitoba at the end of WW I. It’s hard to fathom what has transpired in her lifetime. How can I even sum it up? Her Dad passed away when she was a teenager, during the depression. Times were tough. They travelled, by car, on the gravel road that was the Trans Canada Highway, out west to Victoria. There they stayed with her maternal grandmother. Things didn’t work out. They travelled back again. I think they did this a couple of times. Do you have any idea how far that is? Far, really far (ok, I’m too lazy to go look it up.  Just trust me, you don’t want to drive that far on a gravel road in 1930 something!)
The picture above was taken when she graduated from high school.

Mom went on to become a nurse. That is the next picture:

She ended up working at the hospital in Hazelton B.C. That is where she met a dashing radio operator, my Dad. They were married in Vancouver (I’m really skimming over lots of details here!) then my Dad went off to work in the Merchant Navy, as part of the Canadian forces in WW II.

Well, I”m going skim a lot more here 🙂 Mom and Dad had 8 kids and were married for almost 55 years.

My Dad passed away in 2000. After some time on her own, Mom moved to Victoria to live with my sister Joan. Here’s a picture of her at my nephew’s wedding:

Do you have any idea how lucky I am to have had such a woman for a mother? She is smart, kind, and courageous. I haven’t even really hinted at the hardships of losing her father and all their material wealth during the depression. The years of drudgery, just trying to help make the family successful. When my parents started their family, they had two of my sisters first. Then my first brother was born, profoundly handicapped. Despite that, my Mom had five more kids and succeeded in raising us all. I have no idea where she got the patience or the energy. Well, some of it came from her faith. A devout Catholic, she has practised and continues to practise her religion without being judgemental, impatient, narrow minded, or so many of the things you often associate with religious people. I admire that. Though I chose to leave the Catholic faith as a teenager, I’ve always respected what she gets from it.

To this day, I will discuss any issue with my Mom because she is learned, wise, and understands me very well. She has been a great Mom and a great friend.

Happy Birthday Mom!