When We Were Young by Belle Calhoune

Recently I've been suffering from nostalgia. I find myself yearning to go back in time and relive

certain portions of my childhood. It always seems to me that those times were far less complicated,

and as a child, I was able to view everything through rose-colored glasses.




I grew up in a small suburban town about ten miles outside of Boston, Massachusetts. I had a really

great childhood. One of five kids, my parents were devoted to anything and everything that

enriched the lives of their children. The grand three-story home we lived in was located directly

across from a  public library. It's no small wonder I became an author since I was always across the

street with my nose in a book. Our house was always a bustling place--lots of laughter and chatter

and debates.

Since my mother was a doctor and my father was a biologist, there was also a lot of scientific

discussions.  Those were never my favorite but I learned a lot.

Summers were spent at our summer house in Cape Cod where we would swim, sit in the sun

(suntan lotion wasn't a big thing back in the 70s), catch crabs and boil the occasional lobster.

We had a favorite place to drive to for ice cream once the sun went down. Four Seas Ice Cream.

I remember my father always ordered the Pistachio while my mother loved the sherbert.

One of my funniest memories is when a lobster escaped the pot and my mother screamed

the kitchen down until my father rescued her. Sadly the lobster was eaten and his escape was short-

lived.

I think a lot of this is tied up in missing my mother who passed away in 2000. Sometimes

we think we're past the grief, but then unexpectedly it rises up again and plunges you into yet

another stage of mourning someone you love.

I miss the sound of my mother's voice and the tinkling of her laughter. I miss being mothered

by her.

I miss her tiny wrists and her wisdom. I miss her being only a phone call away.

I miss my father calling her  Anne. I imagine I'll never stop missing these things.

My dad is going to be selling the house I grew up in. It's really too large for him and he's

held onto it for far too long. Although I know this in my head, my heart is already mourning

the loss of my childhood home.  So many beautiful memories were made within those walls.

The winds of change. The permanence of grief.

It all makes sense to me as I ponder the way I've been feeling lately. Memories transport us back in

time to a place where the ones we've lost are still present. They are comforting and tie us to

our past.

Grandmas are Special, too!

Missy Tippens here. I’m excited to announce the June 1st release of my newest Love Inspired book, His Forever Love! It’s available online now and should be in bookstores very soon (I saw the shelf tag at Target yesterday!) And as part of my blog tour, today I’ll be offering a free copy in a drawing from among all who comment! Please leave your contact information so I can reach you if you win. (As a side note, remember that any time you comment you’re automatically entered in our monthly drawing for that month’s Love Inspired books.)

As we finish the month of focus on motherhood, I thought I’d tell a little bit about one of the characters in His Forever Love: Granny Bea. My hero, Bill, lost his parents when he was young, so his grandmother took him and his brother in to raise them. When the story starts, Granny has taken a fall, so Bill comes home to check on her. And what he finds is that Granny now has her first outside-the-home job, plus a man with a crush on her! Oh, and of course Bill finds the heroine, too. And he just happened to have loved her in high school and hasn’t seen her in fifteen years. Of course, she’s not too happy with his plans for Granny! :)

As we think of motherhood this month, I couldn't help but remember my wonderful grandmother. Do any of you have a special Grandma you’d like to tell us about?

I hope you'll visit me at www.missytippens.com to learn more about His Forever Love and to sign up for my newsletter.

My Mother and Mother-in-law

The picture above is my mother, Gladys, when she was a young woman. Mothers are special people, and I was blessed with a wonderful mother. Unfortunately, my mother died too young. She was hit by a car as she was crossing the street just weeks before her 65th birthday. That was nearly twenty-six years ago, and I still miss her. Although my mother was reserved and often stood in the shadow of my dad and even my three brothers and me, at times, she had an inner strength born of her faith that carried her through the difficult times, including the death of her husband ten years prior to her own death. She always opened her home to a myriad of family and friends who remember her hospitality. She is my heroine because in her quiet way she supported me and gave me the confidence in my younger years to reach for my dreams. Because of the encouragement she gave me when I was growing up, I persevered in my adult years through many rejections, until I finally sold my first book. She was gone before I decided to write a book and try to get it published, but the lessons I learned from her helped me not to give up. I just wish she were here to see one of my books on the shelf of a bookstore.



This next picture is my mother-in-law Mary on her 75th birthday several years ago. She was born on Christmas day. So every Christmas we celebrate two birthdays. I am also blessed to have a wonderful mother-in-law, especially since my mother passed away early in my married life. My mother-in-law has also been an encouragement to me in my effort to get published. No one was more excited on the day that I sold my first book. She had read a number of my manuscripts over the years and still doesn't understand why I haven't sold the manuscript that won that Golden Heart. About eight years ago we moved to Florida and now live two miles from her. We are so thankful we are here because she has had some health issues in the past couple of years, and we have been able to help her because we live close. Throughout most of her life, she has been an energetic woman and has had difficulty realizing that she is getting older and can't do all the things she used to do. Despite age and health issues that have slowed her down, she still loves to play bridge every chance she gets. She is a delight to everyone who knows her.

I have been twice blessed to have a wonderful mother, then a wonderful mother-in-law. Tell us about your mother or mother-in-law.

Remember Your Mother or Mother Figures!

Missy here. First off, a reminder: If you haven't already, be sure to mail your Mother's Day cards and gifts! I bought mine a week ago and still forgot to mail them on Wednesday! So I'm reminding myself, too. :)

I love Mother's Day. I have three children who have always loved to celebrate the occasion. The last few years, they've planned and carried out breakfast in bed--all by themselves (no help from Dad). They're so cute as they invariably wake me while banging around in the kitchen and arguing over who's going to do what. I usually lie in bed and just grin because I've discovered I can't go out to check on them. I made that mistake the first year, and they had a fit when I walked out of the bedroom! So I've learned to just wait and enjoy all the chaos in the kitchen.

They always make quite a spread and bring it to me on a tray. One year, they made me a frozen waffle, scrambled eggs, a banana, orange juice and a huge glass of milk. Oh, and I think they also made me a bowl of cereal to go with it! I guess they just couldn't decide on a menu. :)

What a sweet treat it is to know they want to make the day special for me!

What about you? Is there a mother or some other special person in your life you'd like to honor on Mother's Day? Any ideas what you're going to do for her? We'd love to hear about it!

Lyn Cote's Fun Mom

My mother "imprinted" herself on me. If you had met us together, it would have been obvious that I was her daughter. My voice, my word choices, my inflection, my mannerisms matched my mom's. My mother's last days were heartbreaking. Dementia changed my mother into a hostile stranger. When she passed away, I had a feeling of relief, not only for myself but for my mother. She would not have liked herself as she was. She passed away in August of 2007. I have mourned her in fits and starts.

Trying to change my sorrow to joy, I began remembering all the remarkable things about her. And especially what a fun mom she was when my late brother Bobby and I were kids. I grew up in Waukegan, IL, which is on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee. Waukegan had the most wonderful beaches! These were the days before pollution took its toll on water quality. Waukegan's North Beach had beautiful white sand, a WPA built bath house, a lovely shady picnic area and miles and miles of shoreline.

The highlight of summer were the days when the usual westerly wind would shift to an east wind. An east wind drove the warmer waters back to the shore in HUGE waves that gave us hours of fun. My mother was running the family business (May's Floors), kept a spotless house, cooked fantastic meals and still took time for afternoons at the beach. And she didn't even like to wade! So it was just for me and Bobby. Whenever I hear the call of a seagull, it takes me back to those wonderful times, dancing in the waves, shouting and laughing and splashing and making friends with every other child lucky enough to be at the beach. This is how I choose to remember my mother.

Did you have a fun mom too? What is your best childhood memory that your mom made possible?