Monday, May 14, 2007

spt - mother's day

allow me to introduce you to my mom, anne



my mom is the oldest of 7 children. she lived in philadelphia, and attended Catholic school all the way through college. she has instilled in me a true sense of family and of faith;

my mom is a retired high school science teacher. for 20 years of her teaching career, she taught at Catholic schools. my mom was the teacher who would send kids home on *free dress* day if their clothing was inappropriate. she has instilled in me the importance of education and of self-respect;

my mom had four daughters over the course of 7 years. she was able to stay at home with us, and did not go back to teaching until the youngest was in school. while she was home, she taught piano lessons from our living room. she did not teach us however - we took lessons from other teachers. she has instilled in me a true balance of work and family and a love of music.

my mom is a gifted accompanist, and as long as i can remember, she has accompanied choruses, choirs, community theatre productions and talent shows. she has instilled in me a love of choral music and musical theatre;

my mom serves on boards and vestries, giving of her time and talent even when there didn't seem to be any time left to give. she has instilled in me a sense of dedication and community service;

my mom always prepared family dinners and expected us to be present. our dinners always included vegetables. she has instilled in me the importance of good conversation and good nutrition;

my mom is a wonderful hostess, and thoroughly enjoys entertaining at home. over the years, she has welcomed family, neighbors, and strangers from around the world alike. she has instilled in me the belief that life can truly be one big "open house;"

my mom is an eleven year cancer survivor. she has instilled in me the belief that a known enemy is much easier to face than an unknown enemy. she is proof that early detection will truly save a life.




saying thank you for all of this could never be enough. i love you, mom!

27 comments:

jenny said...

Your post makes me want to be like your mom. Seriously, what an amazing lady. I love that she had vegetables on the table every meal, served in her community and so many other things.

Great photo of the both of you. Anne sounds like a lovely lady!

donna said...

What a great spt. Sounds like you mother was a great teacher. I would love to have her teach my children. WOW eleven year cancer survivor. That is wonderful :)

Anonymous said...

What a great tribute to your mom, she sounds truly amazing! I wish I had had a lot of music in my life. I love when people play my piano well, it doesn't happen much. ;)

Brittney said...

I have some friends that do your spt challenges, i was so grateful to start this week and talk about my mom. Your mom sounds wonderful!

Barb said...

That was a great tribute. I love the idea of life being one big open house!

Kelly said...

Nice to meet you Mom. You must be one amazing lady to produce a gem like Lelly. Congratulations Lelly on scoring such a great mom!

Mandy said...

Great post! You are both quite amazing.

Price Cream Parlor said...

What a lovely post to a lovely woman! How fortunate we are to have such women in our lives and how blessed we are to have them be our Mothers! She sounds like a wonderful person! Thanks for sharing!

Elizabeth said...

Wow, thanks you for sharing about your amazing Mom. The spt's of you together are darling.

Denise said...

A love of choral music and musical theatre? Me too! Now I know something we have in common, and that's cool.

I was going to do the spt, but I did a Mother's Day post on Monday because I forgot, so...I'm letting that stand. But I loved reading your tribute to your mom. You are two lucky women to have each other!

Michelle Alley said...

What a lovely post about your mum! It sounds like she is such a great example to you and it's very refreshing. Thank you for sharing!

Chris said...

Great post about your mom. She sounds great!! This was a fun SPT

Jenny Dahl said...

And this is why we have mothers' Day. To honor these women who make it all possible. What would our world be like without moms such as yours. Thanks for the introduction.

sista # 2 said...

I love each little paragraph. I love that she could stay home with you guys, our mom did too, then when the littlest was in school, mom would sub.teach occasionally.
I love that she gave piano lessons, but you had another teacher -so wise.haha -Janae

Rachel said...

Sweetness for cancer-freeness! Yeah! You shared so many wonderful things about your mom! She sounds like a truly amazing woman! Cute pics!

Laurie said...

I thought I'd start reading SPTs starting with yours since I just posted mine. And your mom sounds wonderful! All that she has instilled in you is awesome.

michelle said...

Your Mom sounds like an amazing person. I admire anyone that is a teacher! The picture of the two of you together is darling!

Neighbor Jane Payne said...

What a great tribute Lelly. I loved all the good you have found in your mother. I appreciate the service you give all of us through SPT, too.

Jill said...

This is such a sweet post, she sounds wonderful.

Amanda :-) said...

What a principled lady! Her own mother must've been a great influence on her too. It's amazing how it all gets passed on, isn't it?

I'm so glad you've said she's an 11-yr cancer survivor. My step-dad's in his 5th week of treatment now, so that was nice to hear.

You look like your mum too. This SPT is so interesting in terms of seeing the facial similarities in the mothers and daughters!

Lucy said...

She sounds like a strong woman. My kind of lady! Of course she would be, having such a great daughter!

Liz Snowden said...

What a great Mom and a fabulous SPT. They are so fun, I think I am going to take the plunge on the next one!

Angie said...

Great tribute to your mom. She sounds amazing. Music and vegetables, that is wonderful. Thanks for sharing a part of her with us.

I am Laura said...

love the name Anne(my favorite name)
love that she serves veggies (something my mom taught me as well)
love that she is a school teacher (teachers are the best)
love that she serves others (shows her true nature)
love that she loves music (wish I was more musical)
love that she is your mom and made wondreful YOU!!!

Andy said...

Happy Mother's Day!

Sandi said...

Would love to know your Mom, she sounds fab!

carlo said...

lelly, what a tribute. reading about your mom tells me so much more about you!

inspirational post and i hope to meet your mom in person someday. what a neat woman.