an
amazing and wonderful mother
by Patty Butler
I was born in Long Island, New York.
My father was transferred quite often as my older brother, Chuck, and
I were growing up. We lived in Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis.
When I think back over the years,
I am amazed at my mother's stamina. When I was ten years old I had a heart
condition that kept me in bed for about eleven months. That meant not
even putting my feet on the floor. For part of that time, I had to have
an ice pack on my chest every half hour. We lived in a two story house,
so my Mother had to go up and down the stairs just about every half hour
all day. I really don't know how she did it. My Dad traveled a lot so
he wasn't home to help Mom very often. I really didn't appreciate my Mom
until I had children of my own. I wish I could tell her, now, how I feel
about her and all the things she did for me. My Mother was a wonderful cook. After
I was grown and married, Mother went to the Pope School of Cooking in
Chicago and really became a gourmet cook. She was always happy to share
her recipes with others...and never left out an ingredient. One of my
favorite recipes of my Mom's is a chocolate
ice box cake. She made it for my birthday every year for as
long as I can remember. I have the recipe on a card in her own hand writing.
I have copied it over as I don't want to lose the original.I met my husband, Jack, when we were
in high school. We will have been married 57 years this December. We moved
a lot, too, and lived in Dallas, Houston, Tulsa and Charlotte, North Carolina
which is our permanent home. We have a daughter who is married and lives
in Florida with her husband. They have a daughter (married) and a son
(in the marines). Our older boy is a Presbyterian minister who lives in
Ohio with his wife. Our youngest son lives in Raleigh, North Carolina
with his wife and four children. About Patty:
"I have been a stay at home mom. I have been very active in an organization
called P.E.O. and in the Presbyterian Church everywhere we have lived.
I also volunteer at the hospital near here. We have been retired for 18
years. We were avid campers and have traveled all over the US, Canada
and outside of the US. I have had a wonderful life and wouldn't change
a thing unless it would be to have our children live closer so that we
could see them more often."
Editor's note: Patty said she is fine,
despite (perhaps because of) her mother's trips up and down the stairs.
With a daughter like Patty, what mother would mind?
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