Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Tribute to an Amazing Woman



I would like to honor my mother, Jonel, today. She is an amazing woman. She reared her three children as a single mother and did an amazing job. Times were tough. We didn't have much financially, but she never gave up. Somehow she saw us through. 
We never worried about where our next meal would come from or whether there would always be a roof over our heads, even though she did; she didn't let us know how much of a struggle it was to provide. We were oblivious. Kind of nice not to have that stress as a child. Life was hard enough as it was without adding more to it. I was made fun of in school for not having nice clothes. I was not in the popular crowd. I think it's all made me a more compassionate and loving person instead of one who thinks she is better than others.


She taught us to be strong and to have a good work ethic. She supported us in whatever we chose to do in life. Even though we were poor, that didn't mean that we were less than others. We were to care about the way we carried ourselves. She expected us to have good manners, speak properly with good grammar, to stand tall with good posture, to choose quality friends. 


Because she couldn't give us everything she would have liked, it made us stronger because we had to work for whatever it was that we wanted or needed. I bought my own car, paid for my own car repairs and gas, bought my own clothes, movie tickets, etc. 


My mother is also a breast cancer survivor. She didn't think she would live long enough to rear her children. She handled the situation so well. We were never afraid or thought our mother would die because she didn't share the scary details or possibilities with us. She kept them to herself. We didn't even know she was in pain or having reactions. We didn't know when she went to appointments. We didn't know she had lost her hair. She didn't talk about it. She wore a wig and went to the effort to still look gorgeous. She didn't go around feeling sorry for herself. She continued to go to work day after day in spite of the horrible reactions from the chemo. She never complained, although her pain was great. So we were able to enjoy our childhoods without a worry in the world. I am so thankful for that. Now she is a wonderful grandmother. She is so artistically creative and has an engineering mind. She can figure out pretty much how to rig or make anything. She used those skills in a decorating business where she and her husband, whom she married when I was almost grown, would decorate the malls for the holidays. And now she uses them to help the grandchildren with their school projects. 


Thanks mom for hanging in there and not giving up, for the example you've been, for all you have done and are doing. I dedicate this video to you.


18 comments:

  1. Trudy,

    What a heartfelt tribute,you have written about your Mom. The words phenomenal woman are thrown around so easily these days. She truly is one. Your words held weight and truth in them .I could feel them deeply and I'm sure your mother has (or will) too. This brought me to tears,.. it honors her so. Her gift for all she's accomplished is the authentic and beautiful woman she has taught you to be. Thank you for sharing your mom in this.
    Heart,
    elise

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  2. Wow, this brought me to tears. It sounded so much like my mom, Ivalyn, whom I am named after! I didn't know all the sacrifices she made to make me and my three sisters lives so happy and secure until I was an adult! I had a father, but my mom was the backbone of our family and today I'm proud to say she is still truly amazing at 70 years young. Thanks for sharing this wonderful video!

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  3. Oh Trudy, that´s wonderful! I think, we all should honor our mums much more often!!! They´re so perfect and so lovely :-) A very heartfelt idea to say these words in your blog!

    Best wishes to your mum (I hope she knows that her daughter is so fantastic ;-)!!!)

    Greetings from Vanessa

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  4. Such a beautiful person in spirit and face. (Your daughters look so much like your mother.) God bless her, and God bless you for loving and respecting her.

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  5. What a great tribute to your mom!
    LOVED the video! It reminded me of the Do Re Mi one that they did in Belgium.
    http://sewnotmyday.blogspot.com/2009/04/do-re-mi-fabulous.html

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  6. What a beautiful tribute to your Mom! She sounds like she's an amazing Woman! It's a wonderful thing to have such strong and courageous people in our lives.

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  7. What a lovely post...So heartwarming. Your Mother sounds like an amazing woman :) Thanks Trudy for sharing

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  8. That is a wonderful tribute to your Mom!

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  9. This is a beautiful post, Trudy, so heartwarming. You mother sounds like a truly inspiring woman. No wonder her daughter has such heart...

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  10. Trudy! I have tears in my eyes reading this! What an amazing woman. My mom is an oncology nurse so I know how hard it must have been for her... what an inspirational story!

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  11. Ursobeautiful2me ... I'm inspired by the way you embrace yourself, your life and the beauty of your age.

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  12. Nice tribute to your Mom! She sounds like a very special and amazing woman.

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  13. What an amazing Mom you have and what a very nice tribute you have written to her.

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  14. Thank you for that beautiful tribute, Trudy. Your mother sounds like a wonderful person!

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  15. This was such a heartfelt and beautiful tribute to an amazing woman.

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  16. Beautiful!
    Happy to be following. Congrats on being featured on FF 40+.
    http://maureenmakesit.com

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  17. That is an incredible story and I'm so so glad you shared it with us Trudy. What an amazing mother! She gives us a real model to follow of true womanhood.

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