WHEN I LOOK AT YOU I SEE............
…..a beautiful baby girl born to a handsome WW1 war hero and his precious bride. My grandparents were married in 1919 and a year later, Alice, my mom was born.
My grandparents were good people - so young and so hopeful for a long future together.
The war was over, my grandfather had a job and my grandmother stayed home to care for my mom and then, her younger sister born the next year. Two babies in 14 months and they were a happy and content family of four. Tragedy struck the next year. My grandmother passed away suddenly at the age of 24 - leaving a 2 year old, a 14 month old and my grandfather was lost without her.
I see you infant daughter of Pliny and Winnifred.
…….a two year old adopted by her maternal grandparents. If you were to come over to visit my mom today, there would be 4 or 5 things she would tell you. These things are on repeat. The first thing she would tell you was that she was “thankful to the Lord for my parents, who were really my grandparents.” She still has the scrap of paper her father signed to give the girls and the wedding presents to her grandparents. Incredulous really. Mom says “When I think of it, I had a very protected childhood. I definitely did, but when I kept my grandchildren, that’s when I learned why my mother was the way she was. When you are keeping someone else’s children you don’t want anything to happen to them. My grandmother lost her daughter in 1922 and then lost her son, my Uncle Frank, two years later - to TB.”
I see that toddler who doesn’t remember her birth mother and looks forward to meeting her in heaven one day.
…….a young woman of 16 who just graduated high school and began her first job at Domtar - “the mill”. Mom’s first job was sorting papers! Boring, boring boring. She made $9.00 a week and gave $5.00 to her mother for room and board. A few months later, mom was told to report to the office as the staff were behind in their typing. She never went back to sorting paper. She worked for the paymaster, typing up the cheques, answering the telephone and telegrams. She had permission to give the cheques to some of the wives on Friday afternoon before their husbands finished the shift as the men would squander the money at the bar and it would be mostly gone before they got home. She worked for two years.
I see that young woman.
……an eighteen year old bride. “We were engaged at 17. The engagement wasn’t all that romantic but he (Stan) had the ring in his pocket and he couldn’t wait to give it to me! He proposed right there and then and we were married a year later - August 27, 1938.
I see that bride.
Another story that is on repeat is the story of mom’s first pie she made for dad. Apparently she made an apple pie and hid it in the cupboard. After supper she brought the creation to the table and dad apparently said - “you know how to make a pie!” Apparently he was quite impressed with his new bride.
I see you - beautiful young bride who loved and adored her husband “Stan the man!”
……..a busy wife and mother to 9 children. Mom had babies from 1940 - 1958 - and took good care of her home and family. She says “we had lots of fun as a family and not costly fun as we didn’t have much money. We played lots of games with our kids. “One time Stan saw in the paper that swings and a teeter-totter were for sale. So, after the kids were in bed went out and looked at them and by darned, he came home with them and had it all set up by the morning!” The kids were all surprised and so were the neighbours. Mom says every kid in the neighbourhood played in our yard. There wasn’t a blade of grass when you stepped off the back step!
I see you young mom - middle aged mom - older mom.
……grandmother to 27 and great grandmother to 72 and great great grandmother to 8. My parents retired to beautiful Devil Lake near Westport, Ontario. They spent almost 17 years there before the property became too much for them to take care of in their later years. The cottage was a gathering place for the family. Most weekends - many of us gathered for family time together. Saturdays for supper was hamburgers and Sunday suppers was chicken and potatoes and salads. We lived further away so didn’t always make it for a lot of day trips but for 17 years we spent a week or two of our holidays at the lake and a week between Christmas and New Years. We swam, fished, boated in dad’s little piece of tin, played games, and made memories. My mom and dad babysat for all of us - a day here - a day there - a weekend getaway and the occasional week (if necessary). Our kids loved when Gramma and Grampa came to our house but if you asked any of my boys, their memories are of the lake when they were kids.
I see you Grammie.
And now - in these declining days, mom’s memory and life revolve around the things I have mentioned. She often says “there was a time the grass didn’t grow under my feet! Now all I do is lie around!”
I see you!
And when I look at you I remember the span of your life and all the things you were. Those things make you the incredible woman you are today.
I see you.
