Been trying to stay focused on the Count Your Blessings for November month and have been diligent about posting what Im grateful for on my other page. Todays gratitude is about my mom, Julia Ellen Ryan Speasmaker. I am almost typed in Julie by mistake. Oh how she hated if dad called her Julie by mistake. Mom could crochet anything imaginable. Many of the cousins received her beautiful works of art of crochet for newborns. Mom was quite charitable and loving. She was the ward librarian for years with her very good friend, Sister Waldron. They often went down south together to the Alabama area. One year while driving home I was with them and we pulled over to the most glorious thunderstorm. I remember vividly the wonderful friendship she had with Helen Marple. Oh how I love and miss her too. Mom enjoyed to play pinochle with dad & other friends when I was very small. She always enjoyed to have family around and went out of her way with dad to visit family members. Mom had a memory like a steel vault. She and Eileen could name off the connections of these distant people related to dad and Id stare at them like some deer caught in the headlights - its a miracle that I remember anyone past a second cousin let alone even them in some cases!!! Mom had a fabulously wicked sense of humor. She was open to trying new things and allowed me freedom in the kitchen. Mom cooked in the school districts for years and later at retirement homes and other avenues. Mom loved herself some twangy country hick music. We kids tormented her over that. On my way to visit Rebecca once in PA, I found an old twangy, knee slapping gospel station and went hog wild happy singing along. It was quite the surreal out of body experience falling in love with this stuff I never knew I loved. It was funny to see mom without glasses years later when she had the lens implant surgery done. She still wore her glasses out of comfort. Mom had an incredible faith in god and I witnessed her kneeling at her bedside each night when shed visit me in Utah. She always made sure she had a temple recommend and paid her tithing. Mom was a rescuer and hero of the down and out and forgotten and overlooked souls in the ward and had some fantastic friends. My mom was wonderful and I love and miss her very, very much.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 01:35:58 +0000