Mama herself.

BEFORE she was our Mama she was herself. She studied her lessons through grade school, went to Mass on Sundays, worked on her parents' farm and in the house and then went to work, sending home money to help her parents.
She didn't date many boys. A blind date turned out badly. She took one more chance on another blind date. Lucky her. Lucky him. Lucky us. He was our father.
He joined the Army in 1941. She worked during the war in a cannery and told me she gave people tours through the buildings. She worked in a hospital, too.
She married my father after the war was over. She waited for him during those four long years when times were uncertain and frightening.
Here she is at the wedding, the one looking toward the future so happily. My father is the second from the left. What a handsome couple!
Seven children and many, many grandchildren later, my father had to leave this world first. My mother stayed with us almost 10 years more until her body could no longer maintain her fragile hold on this earth. Her spirit was so strong she would have stayed forever, if it were possible. She taught us how to live a good life and how to be brave in the face of adversity and eventually, death. Happy Mother's Day, Mama. We love you so much words alone can not express its depth. - Jeanne