Happy Mom's Day to you Ann! Thanks for sharing your mom. 

Sally - thank you for reading this, and a very nice Mother's Day to you as well.

Ann

Ann,

Happy Mothers Day and congrats for reaching 100,000 points!

I'm close to 50k..but have a while to reach that milestone. Yes..I remember that hidden secret.

I am sorry.

Happy Mothers Day, It is my 4th Mothers Day without my mother.  But that didn't stop me from wishing her a great day.   We all miss her too!  What a lovely tribute with the pictures for your mom,  I am sure she is smiling a big smile right now!

Carla 

Ann I am happy for you - happy that you have these wonderful memories and happy that you have such a great family to carry on the traditions ylour mother set - she will never be forgotten and will always be loved

Thanks for the post. I enjoyed reading about your family. Moms are special people.  Never ever forget the good times and the lessons.

Ann - What a beautiful tribute to your mom. My mom has been gone 8 years; Mother's Day is always bitter sweet. I have my own children to love and enjoy, yet miss my mom. Even so, a mothers love continues eternally!

Thanks for sharing!

My chidren are sad on this day every year. They were 16 and 14. They are now 33 and 30. A Mom will always be missed.

Neal - thanks for reading, and for noticing the 100,000 crossing!

Chris - thank you.

Carla - thank you so much for those words!  I'm sure she is....

Thesa - thank you, I love what you wrote.  We do have some great family traditions and we continue to carry them on.

Gary - thank you for reading and enjoying my tribute to my mom.....none of those times or lessons will ever be forgotten - they're too special and precious.

Paula - you're welcome, and thank you as well!  Hope you had a very nice Mother's Day with your kids.

Jerome - many thanks for reading, and you're so right - always missed.

Ann, What a great tribute to your Mom... and your entire family. 

Hi Carol - thank you very much!  I do have an awesome family......

Adorable Ann,

Harold and Martha (looks like you have her middle name, right?) look like quite the couple. The head cheer leader and star player, it doesn't get any more "Americanesque" that that does it? These old photos are a real treasure. It's so nice to see how much you appreciate both of your parents.

As for Mother's Day I can certainly understand how you feel,  this is my second without my own Mom. I respect and love for her continues to grow daily. 

My best to you and your family!

Ann...

I can honestly tell you that I know exactly how you feel right now. My Grandmother (who was the closest thing I ever had to a Mom) passed away last November. I, like you, am feeling the whole in my heart. This is my first Mom Day without her. I spent a better part of my day romping around in the rain wishing other Mothers well. It seemed to make me feel better. I know you understand when I say sometimes the best way to relieve the grief we feel is to get out there and help someone else feel happiness :)

TLW...ROAR!

Lynda - Thank you so very much for your comment....yes, I do have her middle name.  She's a southerner so was given a double name - Martha Ann - and I was named partly after her, Ann, and partly after my mom's sister, Elizabeth.  I never really thought about that much until the last few years, and realized how really special that was, being named after my mom.

I'm very happy to have some of these old pictures.  I have some others that I really cherish, just didn't have those on my computer.  A couple of them were given to me at my mom's service by one of my parents' lifelong friends.  He had gone home and found them, and carried them in his hand until he could slide them into my hand.  I was so touched by his gesture, wanting to make sure I had them.  He had kept them all those years, and chose to give them to me - a very special gift.

Thank you Lynda!
Ann

TLW - I'm so sorry about your Grandmother, a very hard day for you today I'm sure.

I have seen your messages around the Rain today - I thought those were all so very nice to read and listen to.  I saw the touching tribute to your from your love - how very special that was to read.

Happy Mother's Day to you, TLW!
Ann

I'm sorry Ann, for the loss of your mom and for others that lost their moms and grandmoms.  I know this day is hard because of that.  I lost my mom when I was 19.  I still think of her very very often and especially on Mother's Day.

Ann, what a wonderful tribute to your mom and some great pictures. I too miss my mom so much, we must hold on to all the great memories.

Happy Mothers Day to All the Moms in the World.

Ann, I cannot even begin to imagine my life without my mom.  I am really sorry to hear about your loss but know she will always be there with you.  I never even met my grandmother and always feel like she is watching over me, the same way your mom is there watching over you.  Hope you had a nice day and thanks for sharing such an intimate part of you.

Linda - thank you for your kind words......and I'm sorry for your loss as well.

Frank - thank you and glad you enjoyed my tribute to my mom.  Lots of great memories -  so glad we all have that!

Ines - your post about your mom was so special -cherish her as I know you do.  Thanks so much for your comments, my friend.

Ann

A day late ... Sorry. What a wonderful post to remember you dear Mom by. And the series of photos were great. Thank yuou for sharing such an important part of your life, Ann. :)

Ann,

What a wonderful tribute to your mom and your dad! I know it was very heartfelt and a truly special post to write. I love the pictures you posted and the story you told  about your mom and dad.

Sorry I'm soooo late in commenting...limited internet down here. 

Ann,

What a beautiful job and a wonderful tribute to mama!

 Love you!

Karen

Mariana - you are very welcome, and thank you for reading and commenting...just something I wanted to write and share.

Monika - thank you!  I'm glad you enjoyed this - you know just how I feel.

Karen, my sister - thank you for finding this and loving it like I did.  I woke up Sunday morning with this aleady in my head.  We do miss her, don't we??  Love you!!

Ann

Hi Ann & sister-Karen,

If you don't mind, I'd like to  comment once again on this. I was so touched to see Karen's comments. It's obvious you two know how fortunate you are to have each other. Your parents did well!

It's very similar in my family, I'm now one of 3 sisters (eldest) and 1 brother (spread over many years) almost like different generations.  And I can honestly say we are closer now than ever...with the passing of both parents we realize the gift we've been given in many ways. It's helped us accept and love each other more than ever. We have all gained strength together.  As I write this, we have a serious family concern at this time, yet with each other we gather comfort and we remain strong.

My best to you and your family...

Hi Lynda - thank you so much for your new comment.  And I'm sorry to hear of something serious going on in your family.  I hope whatever it is has a positive result, whatever that may be.

We count ourselves among the very lucky ones in my family because we do all really genuinely like each other and enjoy each other's company and friendship, in addition to the love we share because we are family.  We find tremendous strength and comfort in each other and being together.  We've always just had a ton of fun together, and that continues on even though my mom is no longer here.  As a matter of fact, I brought both my sister Karen and my dad with me to the Active Rain Celebration in Celebration Florida last month - I knew they'd have fun and they really did.  I included the link because I've got a couple of pictures of them in that post.  Put your cursor over the pics and you'll see who they are.

You and your sisters and brother are among the fortunate ones as well to have grown closer after the loss of your parents - how sad to have both of them gone.  That's a thought I can't even imagine at this point.

Lynda - thank you so much for your support through your comments, and know my thoughts and wishes are with you and your family.  And thank YOU for your comments - they mean so very much.

Ann

Hi Lynda,

How touching it is to know that people care so much.  When I read what others are writing, even though they are addressed to Ann (except yours), I feel like they are friends of mine.  I'm reminded of these words:

"Friends are angels who lift our feet when our own wings have trouble remembering how to fly." - Unknown

You and your family are in my prayers.

Karen

Hi seester!

Hi Ann,

I just read your tribute to your Mom post and wanted to tell you how touched I was.  Thankfully my Mom is still with me at 78 years old and I can't imagine not talking to her daily.  I lost my father almost nine years ago and I talk to him daily.  Losing a parent is one of life's most profound losses and so I feel for you in your sadness on Mother's Day.  No words can ever erase the pain but I wanted to tell you that through your words you have reached others and carried your Mother's love across the Country.  I'm sure she's very proud of you!  Thanks so much for sharing your story.

Hi Lisa - Thank you so much for reading my post and for your comments - I really appreciate that.   It was, and is, a huge loss, and it hurts every day.  The actual pain lessens somewhat over time, but the hole is never going to go away - not at all.  She's with me, and with all of us in my family, all the time, but it's not the same.  Days like Mothers Day, Christmas - which is her birthday, my birthday, and others just make patently clear she's not here anymore, and those days are sometimes hard to get through.  But get through them, we do.  My mom was 68 when we lost her - still so young.

Thanks, Lisa - your words mean alot to me and to my family.  One of my sisters, who commented above you, reads my posts periodically and I know my dad read this one, too.  So, they'll see your words and will appreciate them as I do.

Ann

Hi Ann & sister Karen,

Wow - you guys are so fortunate to have each other.  I'm sure I don't have to tell you.  I too, have two sisters and a brother.  Unfortunately for me, they don't live anywhere near me and my Mother.  It's so hard for my Mom and sometimes I just feel so lonlely not having them all around.  I'm so sorry that you lost your Mother at such a young age.  You're right - she was young for our times.  I thought my Dad was fairly young when he died at 70.  Family losses are so hard to accept when families are close.  I suppose we should look at how lucky we were to have them for the time we did but it just plain never is enough time when you love so deeply.  Once again, my heart goes out to you and your entire family.  It's so nice to see that you are all involved in the Active Rain family too.  That is really special and you are a really special family!  The love your Mom left behind is certainly not lost or forgotten - it's alive and well in each of you.  Thank you for sharing it with me too.  Warmest Regards to you all.

Lisa - Thank you for such a warm comment, and for sharing the words you wrote.  We're all a good distance apart, too, but we try to get together as often as we're able to.  I know what you mean about the loneliness at times - makes those times we are together that much more special.

Warmly,
Ann

What a BEAUTIFUL POST!!  Thank you for sharing about your Mom..and your Dad!  You do have a beautiful family and the memories are priceless.  I hope you sent this link to all your relatives so they could share in the stories...memories...and photos you shared with us on AR!

Hi Susie - thank you so much for your lovely comments - very much appreciated.  My family that has email and internet connections did see this post, and they were quite touched by it. 

Thank you again for your very kind comments!
Ann