Memories of my Mom.

I have several  memories of my Mom. I have four pictures of my Mom.

My Mother was born in Sterling, Kansas in 1889. She was living in Pomona, California when she died in !931. She was 41. I was 5. I can remember the moment that I last saw her alive.

This is a picture of her family in Kansas. She is the teenager on the left.

With my Father. Young married couple.

Distinguished matron.

With my Father, A mature married couple.

Following is a list of my memories of being with my Mother. I assume that my age at the time of the earlier memories was three or four. 

Memory 1. My Mom and I were in a movie theatre in Pomona. The stage was full of new cooking stoves that were being demonstrated. After the demonstration my Mom went up on the stage to get a closer look at the stoves. She was holding me.  I can remember crying. I was terrified that the curtain was going to come down and trap us. I believe that my Mom gave up on her closer look at the stoves,

Memory 2. My Mom and I were visiting someone and she put me down for a nap. Even then I loved naps.

Memory 3. I had done something that displeased my Mom. She told me to go out into the yard and get a switch. She said leave some leaves on the end of the switch. She then switched my lower legs. I remember how impressed I was with the awesome task as I looked for a switch. 

Memory 4. I was in a car with a sister while we waited for Mom to end her shift at a packing shed in Pomona.

Memory 5. I was in a kindergarten class and we were told to lay down and take a nap. I turned my head sideways and I could see my Mom sitting along the side of the room with other parents. I got a good grade in napping.

Memory 6. My Mom prepared a slurry of sliced strawberries, cream, and sugar. She did it in a large blue enameled bowel. A large family group was at the dining room table. It was a festive time. The only thing for dinner was strawberry shortcakes. The shortcakes were large fluffy biscuits that were not sweet. It was festive because you could have all the strawberry shortcakes that you wanted.

Memory 7. I would walk home from kindergarten. I was in kindergarten a year early because Mom worked and needed a baby sitter. After I got home Mom fixed a snack for us.

Memory 8. After Mom had fed everyone breakfast and they had left for the day, she and I would sit down and have our breakfast. I remember food and naps with Mom, huh?

Memory 9. My Mom was sitting in the back of a large car with open sides. I was being held up to the car by some one so she could tell me good by. She was going to the hospital in Los Angeles. That was the last time that I saw her.

Memory 10. I was in a room with many people. I believe that my cousin, Elmo, was holding me.  There was a casket with my Mom. There were many people crying. I had no idea what was going on. I had no understanding of death. 

I am thankful that I had five years with my Mom. I really wish that there would have been many more.