Some Days You Gotta Dance!

Today’s post is a celebration of life, love, and my dear Mother. This is the 10th Anniversary of her death and I miss her every day. She was not only the best Mom in the world, but in the last ten years of her life my business partner and best friend.

A Daughter of the Depression, my mother grew up in a very modest household, worked hard all of her life, took care of her young siblings, her dying father and eventually her mother. Giving is a word people automatically think of when her name was mentioned. Due to this “raising”, she was able to do anything she set her mind to and was one of the strongest, bravest and most independent people I knew. She passed a tiny bit of that along to me, but I will never be the amazing woman I called Mother.

Her passion was getting to know others, doing what she could to make their life easier, happier, and all around better. Community involvement also was important to her. Daily she gave her time at the local Senior Center volunteering for what needed to be done. She was a friend to many and loved by everyone.

The t;hing about my Mother that always made me smile the most was her love of dancing. She rarely shared any of her youth with me, but did tell me about one summer night under the moonlight when she and her boyfriend of the time parked his car on a bridge in the country. By the light of the moon as well as the car headlights, they danced the night away to the car radio drinking sloe gin fizzes for atmosphere. My mother was not known to drink, so the Sloe Gin fizzes surprised me more than dancing on the bridge. In her 70s, she and a group of friends never and I do mean never missed an opportunity to go dancing. This little group sometimes went dancing two to three times a week driving as far as a hundred miles to follow their favorite dance band.

All of her involvement kept her young! She died as she wished…suddenly, without lingering or suffering. I believe her passing was just as much a surprise to her as it was everyone.

This has been a difficult piece to write and not one of my most eloquent.

Below are a couple of pictures I wanted to share of my beautiful Mother. I have the originals on my desk at work and know daily she has her eye on me.

Willie Louise Carberry — about 16 years old

 

Louise Fuller — about 78.

WillieL as I called her, loved the Dixie Chicks just as much as I do! To end this celebration of her life, the most appropriate of their songs is Some Days You Gotta Dance! I can just see her dancing all over the kitchen to this song.

 

Finally, I wish you peace, joy and happiness, but most of all I wish you LOVE. Love your parents, tell them daily, hug them often, and make them proud of you.

As Ever, Annie

First Posted 1/18/2013