Mother, Grandmother, Auntie and Friend

By Adele K. Mennenga

Written by Mary K. Mennenga

The love she's given

Has always been unconditional and never waived

She said, "I don't love anyone the most

I've only loved them longer, that's all."

She never felt qualified to judge anyone

She has always known

"You've done the best you could with the hand

You've been dealt and that

Your best has always been good enough for her"

The love she shared reminds us

Life is a journey we haven't taken alone

So just take it as it comes and enjoy it

Remembering that dying is just the last piece

Of living we'll do and life goes on

The accomplishments she was the most proud of are:

Shooting 100% in basketball. All the children she taught to tie shoes could. She had something good to say about everyone. No has always meant No and it never ever meant maybe! She would give advice if you used it or not, all she wanted was to give you more options. She used cliches to teach life lessons. When hearing them repeated to the next generation, she knew we had learned the significance of keeping it simple.

We wrote this together shorty before she passed away. That basketball shot was from the top step going in our back door, the basketball hoop was 15 feet away and it was nothing but net, after she made it she was asked repetitively to do it again, her reply was; "Why? I can't improve on perfection now can I!" It was the first and last time she ever shot a basketball, no matter how hard we tried over the years to get her to she never would.

She didn't want me to be sad about her passing it's why life works you see is what she always said to me. Still I hear her words and wisdom coming from deep inside of me, more so when I'm being a bone head of course!  

Tis the season of change and of Hope and Joy

     As the cold north winds of November, start blowing across Minnesota. Having had the first snow of the season a short time ago, the changing from fall to winter has begun. When the amount time spent outside depends, on how many layers of clothing I'm wearing and not how much I have yet to do, before the winter snow covers everything in a blanket of white. It's the time for replacing rakes with shovels, lawnmowers with snow-blowers. Garden gloves are put away until white is replaced with green once more.
     It's no mistake I'm sure, that the holidays come this time of year. To distract me just enough so I don't notice or mind, that my little spot of the world has gone to sleep or so it seems. Now I've gone from trying to keeping the heat out to trying to keep the heat in.
     With the coming of the New Year. The memories made this year are more good with only a few being sad. As for the bad just aren't worth holding on to, so I don't!
     Having to say goodbye to my Mother in April. Missing her isn't anything I need to get over or work through, it's just the way life works. Knowing she is free and reunited with her family and friends, everything is as it's should to be. For me being able to feel her love surrounding me is more than good enough for me. As she told me many times "Dying is just the last piece of living we have to get done. Now if you don't handle it well then I didn't do a good job of teaching about life! Did I." So I will miss her and life does go on, just as she told me it would. 

A gift Mom made

I've learned since my mother passed away

That she has given me a gift

I didn't know she had been making for me

 Or that she had started it even before I was born

Now whenever I think of her

I can feel the blanket she made

Of love surrounding me

Best part about is that I am not alone

I know she made one for everyone who loved her

Because that's the way she has always been

Mom didn't love anyone the most

Mom only loved them longer

That's all!

As for my brother's and me

She was the first person to love us

Even before we were born

I truly believe Love is the most powerful emotion.

Because of it's ability to heal the soul.   

EIGHTY YEARS AGO YESTERDAY!

     Was the day my Mother was born, she passed away in April this year. Losing the one person who loved me before I was born, isn't anything I need to get over or let go of. Because no matter where I go or what I do she'll always be apart of who I am. People do tend to say nice things about people who have died. Being her daughter I know all the wonderful things people have said about her were actually true. You see knowing her and seeing her letting down her guard,  honestly she really didn't have one. By not having one at times she got her feeling hurt of course, the odd thing was it never changed how she felt about them, she didn't hold grudges she would just say " They are doing the best they can with the hand they've been dealt and that all anyone can ask and that's good enough for me!"
     My Mom was always able to see the good in everyone, her faith was tested but never shaken. Her love for us will always be within us.