Friday, September 24, 2004
reflections of mom
Sorry I haven't been on the computer much this past week.
My sister and I picked my mom and dad up from the train station on Friday the 17th, and then on Saturday the 18th we celebrated my mom's 79th birthday.
We had a wonderful dinner and party with all the kids, and family. The only great grandchild missing was my nephew's oldest daughter Amanda. It has been 2 years now since we have seen Amanda due to divorce issues, not a nice story all in all. Someday I will get into that story and try to sort it out in my mind. This picture is of my mom, and her brother, Arthur. She was about 14 months old here, and Art was 2 years old. This was taken just before my mom contracted polio at 18 months. I love this picture of the two of them. We don't have many pictures of mom when she was young as much of her early years were spent in and out of hospitals, and her parents divorced when she got sick. My mom was born in Connecticut, and when she was around 3 or 4 her dad decided he wanted his kids, and took the two of them to live with him at his sisters in Massachusetts. (Back in those years, a man was considered best to raise his family if that is what he wanted. After all, we are talking about 1928/1929.) 
His sister convinced him that he couldn't take care of them on his own, and they would be ideal children for an adoption. (My grandma tells the story that the old witch had a couple in mind to adopt my mom, and that Art would be raised to be a priest.) They were placed in a Catholic orphanage, and put up for adoption. This is the picture that was taken at that orphanage. A friend of my Grandma's that lived near my Grandfather let her know what was going on, and with the help of family and friends, she gathered all her resourses, hired acar and went to the orphanage to get her kids. They allowed her to visit them, as they thought she was all for them being adopted out, and on the pretext of taking them shopping, she abducted them, and took them back to Connecticut. My Grandfather sent word that if she wanted them bad enough to face kidnapping charges, she could have them. She raised them both without help from him, and he drifted in and out of their lives once in a while. 
This last picture was taken of my mom and some of her friends from Newington Childrens Hospital. This was home for mom much of her early life, hospital for surgery and therapy for 8 or 9 months, then to her mom's or her grandmom's house, then back to the hospital for more surgeries. My mom is the first on the left with the big white bow in her blond hair. Mom is writing her story down for the grand and great grand kids, and I, for one, can't wait to read it.
Happy 79th birthday Mom, I love you!
lab2401 at 8:44:00 AM EDT Link to this entry
reflections of mom
Happy
Sorry I haven't been on the computer much this past week.
My sister and I picked my mom and dad up from the train station on Friday the 17th, and then on Saturday the 18th we celebrated my mom's 79th birthday.
We had a wonderful dinner and party with all the kids, and family. The only great grandchild missing was my nephew's oldest daughter Amanda. It has been 2 years now since we have seen Amanda due to divorce issues, not a nice story all in all. Someday I will get into that story and try to sort it out in my mind. This picture is of my mom, and her brother, Arthur. She was about 14 months old here, and Art was 2 years old. This was taken just before my mom contracted polio at 18 months. I love this picture of the two of them. We don't have many pictures of mom when she was young as much of her early years were spent in and out of hospitals, and her parents divorced when she got sick. My mom was born in Connecticut, and when she was around 3 or 4 her dad decided he wanted his kids, and took the two of them to live with him at his sisters in Massachusetts. (Back in those years, a man was considered best to raise his family if that is what he wanted. After all, we are talking about 1928/1929.) His sister convinced him that he couldn't take care of them on his own, and they would be ideal children for an adoption. (My grandma tells the story that the old witch had a couple in mind to adopt my mom, and that Art would be raised to be a priest.) They were placed in a Catholic orphanage, and put up for adoption. This is the picture that was taken at that orphanage. A friend of my Grandma's that lived near my Grandfather let her know what was going on, and with the help of family and friends, she gathered all her resourses, hired acar and went to the orphanage to get her kids. They allowed her to visit them, as they thought she was all for them being adopted out, and on the pretext of taking them shopping, she abducted them, and took them back to Connecticut. My Grandfather sent word that if she wanted them bad enough to face kidnapping charges, she could have them. She raised them both without help from him, and he drifted in and out of their lives once in a while. This last picture was taken of my mom and some of her friends from Newington Childrens Hospital. This was home for mom much of her early life, hospital for surgery and therapy for 8 or 9 months, then to her mom's or her grandmom's house, then back to the hospital for more surgeries. My mom is the first on the left with the big white bow in her blond hair. Mom is writing her story down for the grand and great grand kids, and I, for one, can't wait to read it.Happy 79th birthday Mom, I love you!
lab2401 at 8:44:00 AM EDT Link to this entry
This entry has 4 comments: (Add your own)
You GOTTA be kidding me-- Newington, Connecticut? I lived there from the age of 3 until I was 12. Small world, eh? Great photos! Quite the story, too!
Comment from haikulike - 9/25/04 10:57 AM
Comment from haikulike - 9/25/04 10:57 AM
Happy Birthday, Mom.....lab, what wonderful memories & Pictures.
V
Comment from deabvt - 9/24/04 6:23 PM
V
Comment from deabvt - 9/24/04 6:23 PM
Happy Birthday Mom is right! Bless her heart. What a story. Maybe it can even be published one day.
Angela
Comment from readmereadyou - 9/24/04 3:53 PM
Angela
Comment from readmereadyou - 9/24/04 3:53 PM
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