Going Home

Loyce Mae Lowry McGlone

May 11, 1925 to May 26, 2015

The Lowry Clan

Mom was the 4th of five children.  She told me once she was so glad when Aunt Clara was born.  She was no longer the "baby"!  Her dad died when she was just 18 years old.  And then the years passed and Mom was the last of the Lowry clan.  Her Mother, two sisters and two brothers had all Gone Home.  I asked her one day how it felt to be the last of her family to be living.  She said it was lonely but then she always had us.  "Who can be too lonely when so many who are here care about me."

Mom's Senior Picture

Janesville, Wisconsin

Mom and Dad were married on March 1, 1946 at St. Catherine of Siene Church in Denver, Colorado.  Mom joined two other families who loved here dearly.  She became a McGlone and joined the Catholic Church.  Daddy's mother had died when he was 13 years old and his dad died just 6 months after I was born in June of 1947.  But there were The Folks.  Aunts Mary, Rose and Ida and cousin Pat.  She dearly loved these ladies as they did her.  And growing up we all experienced the love they contributed to our family.

Mom and Dad just before my arrival

Summer, 1946

Daddy died in June, 1995 just before his 80th birthday.  Since Mom no longer had any family living near her we, her children, suggested she move near on of her children...not to be confused with living with one of her children as she never would have stood for that.  She moved to Versailles, MO.  Where she lived for 5 years before finally settling down in Billings, MT.  There she lived, happy in her Mission Ridge Community for 15 years.  Her friends were countless and her generosity and humor were renowned.  

Four Generations

 Mother, Daughter, 

Granddaughter and Great Granddaughter

Summer, 1999

And then just two weeks after her 90th birthday Mom went home to be with other family and friends.  I miss you, Mom, but I envy you the reunion you are having.

Home to the Father

A grand reunion begun

Celebrating life.

The consolation

Death becomes a whole new life

It's eternal JOY!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

I'm joining for the first time Little Things Thursday.  Drop by by and visit!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

~~Haiku My Heart~~

a son's devotion to his mother

is one of God's real treasures

more precious than gold

Dedicated to my brother who watches over and attends to the needs of my mother.  This last week she had to be hospitalized for an S2 fracture in her back.  He communicated everything to us and kept us all apprised of her condition.   He worked with the hospital staff and the staff at St. John's to get her settled when she was discharged.  This has truly reduced Mother's anxiety and she can make decisions without too much stress.  Well done, Phil!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

  Visit also Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart.

~~More Smiles~~

This was a gift to me from my very dear friend, Juliene. Today I offer this as a gift to all who, whether a mother, teacher or caregiver, deserve this thank you!!!

~~~~~~~ Before I was a Mom, I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations. Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night . Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep . Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom . Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy . Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God rather than by the cares of life.

~~~~~~~

Wishing you all Happy Mothering!!! You are all so very good at it!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Reflection on Motherhood

I feel I need to make up for my inability to upload pics to go with my previous post (though I don't know how to do that as I see them when I open the blog...[shrug]). So here goes!!!!

A Possible Career Indicator

"...Children's clever imaginations often lead them into actions and antics that may give parents an indication of their future career choice. For example, one woman years ago overheard her young son and daughter playing in the backyard, digging trenches and building forts to guard against an attack by imaginary enemy agents called 'the diarrheas.' Her son is now an engineer, and the daughter is enrolled in medical school."

Excerpt from Humor Me, I'm Your Mother!
by Barbara Johnson

Hope this makes you smile. It did me when I read it. Any career indicators you all might want to share?

A quick one for me...My oldest daughter loved to color and by the age of three I could sit her at the table with crayons and coloring book and she would color until I had cleaned nearly all the house. She is now teaching art to high school students. She loves to spend hours scrap-booking, sewing, and photography.

My best to all!

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Off to Visit Mom...

My Mom

Will be leaving Saturday to visit Mom, Phil, Deb and Megan in MT for a few days. As a result I'm posting today as I will be busy getting organized...

I am still amazed how I am guided to appropriate offerings for this post. I am reminded of my mother and how we were taught. Many evenings while helping with the dishes. I remember her patience when she would remind us that one does not end a sentence with a preposition. (Question: "Where is the milk at?" Answer: "Behind the 'at'") Spelling was a game we would play and Scrabble, the ultimate game and time with Mom, was played with vigor and intensity.

I want to leave you with the reflection from Praying With Saint Paul, edited by Father Peter John Cameron, O.P.

A Mother's "Word-Box"

"And [Christ] gave [...] teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no loner be infants,tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming."
~Ephesians 4:11-14~

I had always considered by sister-in-law toe an outstanding Christian mother, lovingly attentive to the needs of her children. On day I noticed something that helped me to understand a deeper dimension of the vocation of motherhood. as her elder daughter was soon approaching school age, my sister-in-law decided to begin teaching her reading and vocabulary skills. Not willing to allow the television to do such important work, this loving and attentive mother developed her won word game (she called it the "word-box.")

In his 1988 encyclical letter Mulieris dignitatum, Pope John Paul II described the uniqueness of the vocation of the mother as one who "is filled with wonder at this mystery of life and understands with unique intuition what is happening inside her." Indeed, my sister-in-law was responding to the graces of Christ in nourishing and educating her children, ever attentive to their particular needs.

Saint Paul reminds us that Christ gives his holy one the graces to build up his Body, the Church. When we participate in the building up of the spiritual edifice which is the Church, we are preserved from the emptiness that the world offers. When parents respond to the graces of their vocation, their children grow in knowledge and love so that they can resist worldly deceptions. My sister-in-law was building up both her own family and the whole Body of Christ in knowledge and love.

~~~~~~~

Lord Jesus, giver of the gift of motherhood, grant that all mothers may respond to your wondrous graces as they care for their children.

And so, dear mothers and friends, I leave you for several days to ponder, pray, and give thanks for your gifts of motherhood. Christ has indeed blessed us with his graces in so many ways. And you have all blessed me! Indeed, I thank you!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!