My mother-in-law, Gala, passed away yesterday. Although it was expected the news still came as a shock. To be honest our relationship was not always an easy one, but over the years, almost 41, we came to respect one another, and from that respect we learned to care for each other. Gala had a mega-watt smile, a keen mind (she skipped two grades) and a strong Christian faith. I think of her as a woman with lots of pluck, a survivor, because life gave her a lot of kicks over the years. She was a single mom of three little boys in the late 50s, without parents for support or a social safety net. Gala remarried and had two more boys. Divorced again, she remarried and was widowed. In her mid-fifties she began a career as a nanny for the children of professionals in Seattle. Much loved by her families she retired when she was 84. I have to smile when I remember her working as a nanny, even while cleaning and cooking and caring for children she wore her clip-on earrings, lipstick, a nice coral shade of pink, and her ubiquitous running shoes that were always a sparkling white. Gala was known for her down-home cooking: pot roasts, fried chicken with fresh green beans from the garden. Gingersnaps, chocolate cake, Hello Dollies, and jars of blackberry jam, and she had that southern peculiarity; a love for biscuits and gravy at breakfast. There are so many things to remember. Gala always had time for a visit over coffee, her favourite beverage. I remember one such visit when she told me her one regret in life was that she hadnt danced enough. Daves enduring memory of his Mom is what he tries to remind his own children of, You are always loved. Until we meet again....love from Cindy
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:48:34 +0000