Today my Mom, Grandma Bozarth or Great Grandma Bozarth has been dead for 28 years. Wow!! Now we have a whole second generation of kids growing up that did not get a chance to meet her. The mother that labored so often and so long trying to pass the now famous "BOZARTH HEAD".
BUT
What would it be like if she was still alive?
Who would she be living with?
Would she have Alzheimer's? And she wouldn't remember who her favorite was?
Would on a day like Thanksgiving, would we be fighting over her? Like I had her last year it is your year.
Would Jeff have fixed her up with a turbo charged wheel chair to get around town or would she still be driving my 76 Monte Carlo?
Would she have snow white hair like Aunt Betty?
Would they even be talking?
Would her email address be mama9@falstaff.com?
I would like to think that sister Jill would step up and do something, like take care for her mom.
True be told...What mom whispered to me at my wedding that is posted on my anniversary blog was. Joe you were always my favorite, then the other boys and then the girls in no particular order. :)
As posted on Bozarth Blahg by Jessi, it is great to come from a big family.
I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving
We truly have a lot to be thankful for.
I was looking at the past 2 posts I had for Mom's birthday the comments are pretty good reading.
So if mom was alive today how would things be different?
12 comments:
What a great post Joe! (loved reading the past 2 years worth as well) ...and What a legacy Elaine IS! I too feel like I know her through all the stories. What a true blessing for all of you to have been raised by such a woman. She truly was a great mom!
My only prayer is that our children have half the great stories of me when I am gone. (as you all have of Elaine) I've said it before and I'll say it again...our children are our greatest blessings! Have a great day everyone! ;-)
I think the ONLY difference would be she would be older. If she'd have lived, the difference would have been in you kids for having had your mom in your lives for all the extra years that kids expect to have their mothers in their lives.
I think your mom would still be cooking for someone and wanting to play games any chance she got. She still be talking to Aunt Betty every morning, only NOW she'd have so many great stories to brag on about her own family....then she'd get off the phone with Aunt Betty and call Paulette and tell just the opposite kinds of stories. I'd like to think I'd still be taking her to lunch once or twice a week, and she'd still be going to County Market everyday. I think your mom liked her life for the most part and was just starting to have some time to do the things she wanted to do...which seemed to be a lot like the time BEFORE she had time to herself....She loved her family, and loved spending time with them.
As for all the new babies since her passing...I can just hear her say "I could bite that little butt" For being a tom-boy, I've never seen anyone love babies more than your MOM.
Great now I'm homesick :) I just read this post at work and I miss you guys. I hate it sometimes that I never got to meet Grandma. I think about her a lot and there are a lot of times that I stop by the cemetary when I'm in Quincy just to talk to her. I just think she likes it and it always comforts me a bit. We have such a wonderful family, and it's all because you guys had such a great mom!
I liked when she said, "Those dishes need to soak, lets go sit on the porch."
What a great post but it is hard to type because of the tears. What I like most about the past and present posts are the stories that all the family and I do mean all the family have. It is amazing the stories that Paulette, Cindy and Andrea have, just like her children. She always loved all of them too becuase they took away kids and made more room. Just kidding, you all treated her like your own Mom. I guess that is true love for the Bozarth you got stuck with.
I will never forget Mom sitting on the porch and telling me that she hoped she would die before Dad. I said I was surprised because of how hard her life had been. She told me she did not think she could go own without Dad and then I knew what true love was.
She also told me how she wanted her entire funeral to be. She told me what kind of stone, songs and how she wanted us to celebrate her life which we did and thanks to Joe we celebrate it each year. Thanks Joe.
Dad told me to go make the plans. I remember going to pick out the casket and John was so anxious to get out of there and us girls were doing some cost comparison. He said just pick one you are not going to get a blude light special. We all laughed.
I also was going to pick out the stone and I knew which one I wanted but Cindy and Paulette thought I should not do it alone so they went with me. I always thought that was so sweet. Thanks.
I know we all know how lucky we were to have had a Mom like her but even more our parents left us with the most precious gift --- each other. How would we get through all of our ups and downs without one another. We are so blessed to have each other and such wonderful spouses who tolerate all of us. Our children are so lucky they have so many cousins. Big Familys ROCK.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to remember the past, present and future. Love to all.
Mom would probably be hosting Thanksgiving for 42 people and then after everyone sat down to eat, she would sneak off to the kitchen with her turkey neck and giblets and eat in her kitchen. Love ya mom! Yur the one.
another great post joe. And with such a great subject I guess it is hard to mess it up.
Crying in North Carolina. Beata is shopping with friends but I stayed home to grade papers. Rob's at the dump--something about clinkers. I'm on the couch with Bobby, Billi, Bella, Chilli, and Dr. Tran. Can't believe they all fit on the couch with my big butt.
I love you all, and still miss mom so very much.
Grandma would be making a fuss over Elaine Jr and she would have a ball sitting outside in her lawn chair watching another generation of Bozarth kids play summer backyard games.
I don't know what would be different, just that everything would probably be better. I hate that she didn't ge to meet either of my dad's kids, she was so close to meeting me. I think she would be proud that we are still such a close family, even with all of us spread out so far.
It's funny that my only memory of Grandma is changing my diaper on the table in the dining room with her blue hankerchief do-rag on...I'm sure at that moment she thought - I'm better off moving on to the next life before this kid's diapers turn solid ("he'll be crappin' himself for years)
...So give Grandma credit for all those points you got in the caption game by putting down "Matt shit his pants again"
I am so glad that 2 of my children did know Elaine-even if they remember very little of her. I dont think she would be any different-just hope she would be taking more time for herself;she was getting to the point just when she died.
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