Ma had a history of being a generous and thoughtful gift-giver. She loved to make people smile. On my 18th birthday, she prefaced my gift with something like this:
"Missy, I've been holding onto your gift for 18 years - waiting to give this to you. It means a lot to me and I'd like for you to have it..."
I'm thinking - WOW...this must be something really special! Some sort of family heirloom, perhaps? A piece of jewelry?! What is it?!
Ma went into her bedroom, dug into her underwear drawer, and pulled out a small canister and handed it to me: "This was the spermicidal foam that was supposed to have worked the night you were conceived...."
"Whaaaat?! Ma - that's gross!"
"I thought about writing the company and thanking them for making a faulty product. It's because of this that I have you."
Such a weird, wonderful and loving gesture. And so perfectly my Mom.
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Water ballet, calligraphy, Mom, and Alzheimer's
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- Polack Orange
- Polack Orange is an ode to my sweet Mom - Geraldine Radford. Mom is 50% Polish and her favorite color is orange. Actually, it's really more of a peach color. But, instead of simply calling it "peach", Dad has dubbed it "Polack Orange." Now, really anything that has any orange hue is referred to as Polack Orange. Mom was a water ballerina from the Iron Range, that became a beautician, that met my Father and became a Mother of 3 girls, that worked 3 jobs to put us in voice lessons and acne medication, that finally retired to live the sweet life, but then lost her mind to Alzheimer's. This is about how I see my Mom. About how much she's shaped me. About how much I love her. And how much I hate what Alzheimer's has done to her. These are my memories of her.
1 comment:
I check your site to find out how my past neighbor is doing. I spoke with you Dad at Christmas and now will send a birthday card to your Mom. Sure wish the light would come on and stay on so you could all visit! I know she would love your boys to death!!
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