There have been many things written, posted and said about my Dad and how wonderful he was. He is gone and we grieve and miss him and honor him all the time. My mother however, is here. We love her, and we are here for her and she is treated well by all of her children, and grandchildren, but we never really honor her. So on this her 76th birthday, I think she deserves to be honored.
Her name is Betty Glennon. She was born December 20, 1939 to two Irish immigrants. She was the youngest of three and her life was not always easy. She met my Dad in Ireland and after he came to the US, they got married. They had six kids and they both worked really hard to provide for us. When we were younger she was a pretty strict disciplinarian, she had to be, with so many kids, otherwise there would have been chaos.
I was very rebellious teenager and put my parents through a lot. She and I did not get along very well during those times, like most mothers and daughters, during those teenage years. In my early twenties, I began to understand my mother a lot more. She was always the bad guy when we were growing up, but that was because my Dad was working all the time. He wasn’t around as much for the day-to-day things, and although they worked together to try to support all of us kids, she was left with the majority of the responsibility of running the household. As a young adult, I started to see my parents as human beings and recognized flaws in both of them, and developed a new respect for her.
When I had my son, that really opened my eyes to reality of what her life must have been like. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed with one child. She had six, (in eight years). At times, I felt stress bringing one child to the grocery store, she managed to do it with six, and she didn’t drive. Imagine managing six kids on the subway, or a on a bus, or at the Laundromat. She did it all, with us six in tow. I can’t even imagine the stress that she must have been under all the time and I wonder how she made it through with her sanity.
When I was a little girl, and being bullied by two neighborhood boys, she came to my defense and explained to them that she would “wipe the streets with them,” if they bothered me again. Growing up whenever I had a problem with other kids, she always explained that they were jealous of me(there must have been a lot of people jealous of us Glennon kids LOL). She has been an excellent Grandmother to all of her grandchildren and always had a great relationship with my son. Before she started to really fail health wise, she was my constant companion, riding shotgun with me all over Brevard County, on work errands, and on multiple road trips, helping me navigate and singing along to my I-Tunes playlists. I miss those times a lot. I know it’s hard for her to get in and out of the car now, but its lonely without her.
Whatever it is that she did or didn’t do when we were kids, as the mother of six adult children, is where she really shines. She has been there for every one of us, whenever she was needed. She suffered when we suffered, she cried when we cried, she gave us strength, and support and unconditional love. She has been hurt by us, often and has always easily forgiven.
Mom, I love you and am really amazed at the person you are. You and I have been through a lot together and you have sometimes been the only person in the world that I could truly count on. About six months ago, we were talking, and you said that you are sorry that you are such a burden to Steve and I; I said it then and I am saying it now, having you live here with us, is not a burden, it is a PRIVLEDGE.
Thank you for being there for me and I hope you know that I will always be there for you. I love the talks we have, and the laughs we share and I can’t even imagine what my life would be like without you. You have been a mother and a friend to me and even though sometimes you drive me a little crazy, (especially with electronics ), I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Happy 76th Birthday Mom. Please keep taking care of yourself; I need you to have many more.
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