ChatterLei

Today is my mom’s 84th birthday. My siblings and I and our families are going to get together with her this afternoon for a luncheon/dinner to celebrate her.

The menu is simple. We are serving home made chicken salad croissants and potato salad. Which are made and in my refrigerator. There will also be veggies and chips. And for dessert she wanted an apple pie from Sam’s Club. What mom wants, she gets. 🙂

My siblings and I and anyone else who wants to participate are going to share “Memories With Mom” from a lifetime with her.

A first memory of mine is the following:

I was 3 years old when Mom said, “C’mon, let’s go the store.” I remember feeling happy when I sat down in the front seat passenger side of the car. Mom opened the driver’s side door, slid in onto the seat, and sat her purse down between us. 

I cried out loudly.

 “What is wrong?” Mom asked sounding surprised and scared at the same time.

“You sat your purse on my friend!” I wailed.

She was my imaginary friend, but she went everywhere with me. She was sitting in the middle seat when Mom sat her purse down on top of her. How could she not know she was there? 

Mom got out of the car and came around to my side, opened my door, and walked me toward the house, stopping near the garage. I remember her telling me there are no more imaginary friends. (Well, I only had one and Mom already smashed her with her purse… so… duh!)

Mom must have been running on adrenaline from the fear she felt when I cried out. She was rarely ever stern. But, that day, was the end of my imaginary friend. Or at least the end of me talking about her.

After that, my new imaginary friend would run along the telephone wires from poll to poll. Up and down and up and down. When the wires disappeared my friend just became invisible only to reappear again at the next telephone wire along the highway. It took an hour and half to drive to my grandparents house about once a month. That was a long way for my friend to run along the wires. But, she never got tired. I wish I had her energy and ability!