A Beautiful Mother’s Day Gift: Save the Memories!
Back in 1997 when my mom was diagnosed with cancer, I wanted to give her a gift for her birthday that would mean a lot to her.
Because I knew she meant a lot to many people. She made a difference in many lives.
I drafted a letter and sent it out to around 100 friends, asking if they’d share with me their memories of my Mom.
I put together a Memory Book, rather quickly (I am not a scrap-booker!), and my sisters and I gave it to her early for her birthday, but barely in time. She died one hour before her birthday.
Thirteen years later, at this dinner party, I pulled the book out again to share with my relatives.
We smiled.
We teared up.
We read inspiration.
And it just brought back a lot of memories of Mom.
Pictures, cards, poems, songs, letters … I kept the writing in original form.
I’ve shared this idea with many of my friends: Don’t wait until it’s too late to put a book like this together! It’s a wonderful gift with so much sentiment. The book can reach back from childhood memories all the way to current times.
It’s a wonderful Mother’s Day gift idea!
My only regret was that we didn’t think of this a few years earlier!
But now we have this wonderful book (we put sheet protectors on each page) that we’ll pass down to our family members.
One thing is revealed very clearly. Our mother was a wonderful person who loved God, and her beauty radiated to those around her. You can see it on every page.
Have you thought of creating a book recognizing your Mother, or perhaps the gifts of a woman who means a lot to you?
This is beautiful. what a Wonderfull idea.
What a beautiful way to honor your mom and show what a treasure she was to all of us.
I love how much this idea blesses those angels in our lives and reminds us how lucky WE are to have them. My mom passed away in 2006, after a courageous 4 year battle with Ovarian Cancer. She had a reprieve after her 1st surgury and that December sat for a photographer. We still tear up at the gift of our mom without a sign of the illness that would take her.
thank you from another guy reader
rick
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Sandy, I loved your Mother’s Day Blog. I am sure that the Memory Book you made for her, really made her happy. She was truly a wonderful friend and a really special mother to you girls. When I think back of the good times we had together when we were in the Air Force, we had so much fun. That’s when they used to tease me and say that I could even make “Wienny Gravy”. We were so poor, and when they would come over sometimes, all we could afford were wieners and mashed potatoes, and veggies, so I had to make gravy for the potatoes. I just fried a few slices of bacon, cut up, with some onions, and made a white sauce out of it, and that’s what they said was wienny gravy. They were so full of life and so in love. It was great being around them.
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Sandy,
Thank you for sharing this memory, your gift and reminding us all to appreciate our moms. Your mom was an amazing woman and she is so proud of you- I am sure of that!
Happy Mother’s Day.
Your Peonies are beautiful!
Love this….What a great post….Happy Mother’s Day
I got teared up reading this. I only wish I had thought to do something like this for my mom before she died. My tribute to my mom is to try to be as loving, giving, and ecouraging to my own daughters as she was with my sisters and me.
How precious, even for the family that’s left behind. We did something like that for my mother’s 90th birthday, took pictures of everyone who was at her surprise party. Treasures sometimes come in small packages, don’t they?
This IS a wonderful gift…and it doesn’t just have to be for Mother’s Day. I know firsthand, because my daughter made a memory scrapbook for me for my 50th birthday a few years ago, and I cherished all the letters, photos, and kind thoughts [and my daughter’s time and work] placed in that book.
What a WONDERFUL idea Sandy!!….I added this to my Mother’s Day post http://www.tidymom.net/2010/05/mothers-day-ideas.html
I hope you have a beautiful Mother’s Day!
.-= TidyMom´s last blog ..I’m Lovin’ It – My Mom =-.
I love this. I definitely want to do this for my mom. Thanks for sharing such a sweet memory.
.-= paula´s last blog ..Moving On =-.
Sandy, that was a nice tribute to your Mom and was very thoughtful of you. Last year was the halfway mark of me no longer having my Mom. She died 32 years ago (at that time last year) on June 19, 1977, when I was 32 yrs. old. Last year I was 64, so that was “half my life without my Mom.”
EVERYONE who still has their Mom for 2010 had better take advantage of the opportunity to love and cherish her while you still can.
God Bless You! Betty G. in Oklahoma
Sandy…this is such a great idea! I know your Mom will be in your thoughts this weekend. Hope you have a great Mother’s Day with your family!
Susan, you too! I was thinking of you just today.
Have a blessed weekend! :)