for mom-mom

mom-mom and me, halloween 1981

this post is a tribute to my mom-mom, eleanor. she passed five years ago today. when i think of mom-mom i remember a strong yet gentle women with a knack for cooking and crafting. she took care of me as a sick girl with the flu when my mom had to go to work and taught me how to cross-stitch. she made me and my cousins (all 13 of us) amazing christmas stockings and a handmade easter basket each year. she was quite a mom-mom.

my sister krista in front of our stockings, homemade with love

she was soft and cuddly, just as a grandma should be. she loved sports, especially her phillies, and knew more about them than most men. more than anything she loved her family and was overjoyed when her grandchildren came to visit.

the grandkiddies (minus brittany and kimberly who were born a little later) at a family reunion, in '86 or '87 i believe.

the family she and my grandpop created

my mom-mom and i had a special kind of bond. she was hard of hearing and i was a mumbler, so there wasn't much verbal communication between us. but ours was a genuine, unspoken love; we would hug and kiss and smile and laugh, and that was our beautiful relationship.=)

my mom-mom's giggle was as delightful as a wind chime dancing in a warm breeze. what's wonderful is her sons have a similar infectious laugh that remind me of her.

mom-mom with two of her five children, my dad, craig and her youngest, tommy

eleanor was a woman of strong faith, and i learned after her passing that the serenity prayer was one of her favorites. the prayer card from her service is on my dresser; i read it when i'm struggling.

when mom-mom passed, she was not afraid. she was certain she would go on to be with her husband and daughter, ellen joy, and others who went before her. she is greatly missed, but as her conviction showed me, we will all meet again, some sweet day.=)