Happy Mother's Day to My Mom

 

My mother always wanted to be a writer. One of her first jobs as a teenager was working for a published writer. She would proofread his work, type his drafts and prepare for publication. Mother was always good with the written word. 

One thing she liked to write was poetry. Several years before her death, I surprised her with a gift on Mother's Day ... a hard bound book filled with the poetry she had written over the years. She often wrote poems about family, friends, and life's events. So her poetry was illustrated with the pictures of family and friends that she had written about. That Mother's Day was one of the best I ever celebrated with my mother. Love you, Mom! Hope you have a Happy Heavenly Mother's Day 

My Mother's Legacy of Service

 My mother loved working with her hands.. Sewing, crochet, gardening, cooking, and many other works of art. This little video was created from the photos taken at her funeral. We asked everyone to bring the hand made blankets, the crocheted dresses, the baby Teddy Bear blankets, the doll clothes, everything she made them for display at her funeral. The result was breath taking.

Grandpa Taught Me Honesty

My grandfather taught me to be honest. As a young child I remember being a passenger in his car and on our way home to my house. On the way he stopped at a local store to buy something. We were in the car ready to go and he noticed the change the clerk gave him was too much. Grandpa said he needed to go back into the store for a minute to return the extra change, so he walked back in, returned the extra change, and then took me home. I don't remember how old I was, but the memory of hearing him tell me that the clerk gave him too much change and then watching him return to the store to give the extra change back is as vivid today as it was over 50 years ago. A small moment in time for me, but a very valuable lesson was taught that day. I will always be grateful for his good example of honesty.

George, Rebecca, and Andrew Hartley

George and Rebecca [Richards] Hartley, with their son Andrew.

Taken about the time they immigrated from England to America in 1889.