The first Mother's Day without my own mother....

Lillian with her granddaughter (left) and me on the right.....

The year after my mother died I took my cousin, Myrtle, out for lunch on Mother's Day.  We went to the Olive Garden in West Dundee, Illinois.  The same Olive Garden I dined at numerous times with my mother. Myrtle and I had a lovely time. It was nice to have someone so sweet and gentle to spend that Mother's Day with,... that first Mother's Day without my own mother present.  And I know that Lillian was smiling on us, happy that we could have that time, in a warm, comfortable, pleasant place. 

Lillian was 8 years old when her niece, Myrtle, was born. It was a lovely memory that she cherished always. 

One thing about Myrtle was that, no matter where on earth she went, inevitably one would hear a voice say, "Myrtle! What are you doing here?" in a cheerful tone.  Myrtle inspired that cheerfulness, being always a very pleasant lady herself.  It was amusing to all of the family, though, how this happened. It was as if Myrtle was a famous person, everyone knew her.... The epicenter of the Myrtle universe was somewhere in the vicinity of Bartlett, Illinois, so, if you are from the area you might be thinking "Myrtle? that sounds familiar."  

So, we had a lovely Mother's Day dinner, at Olive Garden, early in the day, when the restaurant was not crowded and noisy.  That was the way Lillian and I enjoyed it, and that was perfect for Myrtle too, as she had become hard of hearing.... but I digress.....  as other patrons entered the restaurant I was waiting to hear someone say that line.... "Myrtle... what are you doing here?"  But I was also thinking that maybe we were just a bit too early in the day....

As we were leaving the restaurant, approaching the door... Myrtle said to me, "Gee, we didn't run into anyone I knew..." and at that moment the door to the restaurant opened and a woman said, "Hey Myrtle! What are you doing here?"  Myrtle and I burst into laughter.  The woman wondered aloud what was funny about that....  so I told Myrtle to stay and tell her friend why we laughed out loud, while I would go and get the car. 

So that was our fun, funny moment Myrtle and I, on that first Mother's Day without Lillian.  
It is nice for me to have this memory of that particular Mother's Day.....

And while we dined we had also shared memories of the women we knew, and loved, who had passed..... Lillian of course, and Helen, Myrtle's mother, my aunt,... Aunt Mae, Aunt Winnie, Aunt Lorene,... Myrtle's sisters: Lauretta, Verna, and Diane, as well as her sister-in-law Betty .......because that is what we do on Mother's Day, isn't it? we remember all of the women in our lives, especially those we have loved and lost.

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This is my cousin Myrtle, and I am thinking of her (and how amusing my mother would have found the Olive Garden story)..... 

.....on this, the second Mother's Day since Myrtle went on ahead to join those other women I am thinking of today, in heaven.

Myrtle 12/08/2011

and as I write this I also think of the many other women I have known, some of whom I did love, who are no longer in this realm...........