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Pirates and fishermen
My life was mostly filled with boys. I had two younger brothers. After Greg and I got married, I had one nephew and by nine years later Greg‘s parents had five grandsons. His parents had started with three daughters. followed by three sons, then the 5 grandsons before the last grandchild was my niece, Remi.
Being a boy’s mom was wonderful. It required a whole different level of energy and imagination than what I would discover once I had a granddaughter. I had one son who lived as a character, usually a pirate, but sometimes Chief Powhatan. My other son needed the outdoors like he needed fresh air. He wanted to climb trees, ride his bike, go fishing and have a ton of friends with him.
My boys were only two and three, when my dad died. The youngest boy told me, “it’s OK mom. When you die the strongest part of you doesn’t die, and the strongest part of grandpa was the part that loved us.“
I quickly learned to say yes way more than I would have if my dad was still alive. When I want to stay home and sleep, I would remember that my dad would’ve given almost anything to say yes to another fishing trip or walking the beach.
And Greg was a big boy himself, he loved to play and he loved to roughhouse and there were times when I would hear the crash of something breaking and go into the other room asking who shattered the ceiling light only to find both of the boys pointing at dad who would be holding his Lightsaber and looking sheepish.
Being a boy’s mom was wonderful. It required a whole different level of energy and imagination than what I would discover once I had a granddaughter. I had one son who lived as a character, usually a pirate, but sometimes Chief Powhatan. My other son needed the outdoors like he needed fresh air. He wanted to climb trees, ride his bike, go fishing and have a ton of friends with him.
My boys were only two and three, when my dad died. The youngest boy told me, “it’s OK mom. When you die the strongest part of you doesn’t die, and the strongest part of grandpa was the part that loved us.“
I quickly learned to say yes way more than I would have if my dad was still alive. When I want to stay home and sleep, I would remember that my dad would’ve given almost anything to say yes to another fishing trip or walking the beach.
And Greg was a big boy himself, he loved to play and he loved to roughhouse and there were times when I would hear the crash of something breaking and go into the other room asking who shattered the ceiling light only to find both of the boys pointing at dad who would be holding his Lightsaber and looking sheepish.
Easter Blessings
The First Easter that Greg and I spent together I was 18 and still living with my parents and brothers. We attended a little church called simply “the Church of God” and that Easter I invited him along to the sunrise service. We were dating but I wasn’t sure of anything at that point. Unlike my mom. I didn’t get him an Easter gift but she rolled up three little paper bags into a basket and filled it with cookies and candy. I was embarrassed by her simple gift but he was amazed that our preacher showed up in his bathrobe to pretend to be one of the disciples and first act out the scene of learning of the resurrection. Then the next day mom drove to our college. Found his car and slipped in a key chain with my high school senior portrait in it under a case that read “I love you.” Ugh! She was never subtle and loved drama but stalking my boyfriend for me! ???
Anyway from 1982 until 2024 we never spent an Easter apart. Often joking that we were regular church attendees- regularly going each Easter. Then he took on choir directing at the United Methodist Church when our boys were preschoolers and we actually became regulars for about 12 years. The Sunday school teachers and the pastor became part of our extended family in our chosen hometown.
Each Easter we decorated eggs and hid baskets with various friends and family. Sometimes attending an outdoor service at Trees of Mystery in the Redwoods.
Our boys were both born in Easter season so can sometimes have their birthday on Easter. Our children grew up and carried on the tradition with our grandchildren and I remembered baking sugar cookies and dying a gross of Easter eggs (yes a dozen, dozen) with my own grandmother because she filled small strawberry baskets with cookies and eggs for all the senior center and nursing home residents and the shut ins she knew of.
Anyway. Religious or not the return of spring and flowers and life from the frozen winter in Wyoming was always a resurrection worth celebrating.
Anyway from 1982 until 2024 we never spent an Easter apart. Often joking that we were regular church attendees- regularly going each Easter. Then he took on choir directing at the United Methodist Church when our boys were preschoolers and we actually became regulars for about 12 years. The Sunday school teachers and the pastor became part of our extended family in our chosen hometown.
Each Easter we decorated eggs and hid baskets with various friends and family. Sometimes attending an outdoor service at Trees of Mystery in the Redwoods.
Our boys were both born in Easter season so can sometimes have their birthday on Easter. Our children grew up and carried on the tradition with our grandchildren and I remembered baking sugar cookies and dying a gross of Easter eggs (yes a dozen, dozen) with my own grandmother because she filled small strawberry baskets with cookies and eggs for all the senior center and nursing home residents and the shut ins she knew of.
Anyway. Religious or not the return of spring and flowers and life from the frozen winter in Wyoming was always a resurrection worth celebrating.
Our high school senior portraits
Used to always hang in our bedroom with various cards we have exchanged. These were actually taken before we met during freshman year of college but they show why ever after, we always had people asking if we were brother and sister.
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