Thinking of Mom~2008

Thinking of mom ~ 2008

Mom has been gone, now, more than 5 years...and I still think of her every day! And she's on my mind more than ever as this Mother's Day draws near!

This was one Mother's Day we had together ... Mom was almost always with us on special days!

I miss you, Mom!

I wrote this in memory of our sweet Ma-Ma!

It's been posted a few times here but this is for Mom so I'm putting it here again! The roses I saved were the last ones we could give her!

~~~

Mom’s Last Roses

These are Mom’s last roses.

I kept a little part

of all the roses given,

from every grieving heart.

I handled them so gently

and dried them - as you see.

I found the perfect basket-

arranged them carefully.

I found the sweetest ribbon,

and made this fancy bow-

attaching it, expertly!

It had to be - just so!

It had to turn out special,

and easily convey…

how much I do still love her

and miss her every day!

These are Mom’s last roses.

They’ll always be a part

of all my memories of her

and the sorrow in my heart.

June Kellum

Sept. 2005

5 Years Today

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27, 2008
5 Years Today

Today is the 5th anniversary of Mom's leaving us. The date had not hit me until my sister reminded me tonight!

I never would have thought this day could slip by without me remembering but I know Mom would understand and forgive me with all this sorrow that's in my heart with the recent events in our community.

Mom would be so hurt to know of the loss of these young men's lives....It wouldn't matter that she had not known them- just as it doesn't matter that I didn't know them!

~~~
The picture is Mom and me in 1977...31 years ago!

...This puts Mom's age here just about a year older than I am now!

Folks say I look like my mom ~ and I say, "Thanks!" :)


Love,
Junie

Remembering Mom on her birthday

NOTE:

 pictures are Ma-Ma and my 4 grandkids.
The one of her alone was her birthday celebration in 1995.

Happy Birthday to my mom

Tomorrow (Today-Jan 6 ) would be my Mom's birthday...but later this month marks the 5th. anniversary of her leaving us. She had just had her 94th. birthday.

This time of year is always especially sad for me...remembering Mom and how we finally had to let her go. Sad memories but happy ones too- throughout all the years we had her in our lives.

I never have known anyone whose heart was so full of love as my Mom's! Her love for her family had no beginning and no end!

It was a big impact on everyone when our Ma-Ma passed away, and something that is still very hard for me- even after almost 5 years now!

Since her passing, our family has experienced some other devastating happenings ... the death of 2 of her grandsons and a great-granddaughter! I have been thankful that Mom didn't have to endure that pain.

~~~

We would have this big birthday gathering/ reunion for her every year. Most years almost every one of the family would come to be with her...sometimes even the ones in California and Oregon. She loved it and I'm so glad we were able to give her that in her later years!

This picture I found was from one of her last birthday parties.

Mom would have been 99 years old.

Thinking of you, Ma-Ma!

Always with love,

Junie

Remembering Daddy~2007

On all our trips to Alabama we take flowers for my dad....so it was a part of this trip too.

Most of his family are buried here and most of Mom's are too! They both grew up in this area of Alabama (Springville~about 100 miles north of Birmingham) and knew each other most of their lives.

Mom's original plan was to be buried here but in her later life she decided she belonged in Florida...I think she wanted to remain close to her kids here!

...and I guess it doesn't matter...

I visit each spot as often as I am able!

Always in my heart ~my mom and dad~

Love,

June

Daddy~

I am remembering Daddy today~~~over this vast time span of 44 years!

Daddy died much too young at the age of 59 years. There's always been a special kind of sadness in remembering him~ a feeling that he missed out on so much.

But~ love stays with us forever!


This photo is probably 1954-55

Daddy with my little sister and me~ and a nephew. This was in Perrine, Florida.

(click to enlarge)


Love,

June

Aunt Ruth-a sad goodbye.

My dear Aunt Ruth passed away this week at age 96.


I have fond memories of visiting Aunt Ruth's house during my childhood years. It was always a pleasure to see her and my uncle and cousins. She had SIX boys- no girls!
I remember sitting on the back porch with the boys and eating buttermilk and hot corn bread, with a spoon! Once there was a big family reunion at Aunt Ruth's place, with
almost the whole Burttram (my mom's maiden name) clan. All the Aunts, Uncles and cousins were there! My grandpa (Big Papa)was still with us. A fun time to remember-oh-so long ago.(I was a young teen)

Aunt Ruth was younger than my mom by about 2 years, I believe. (We lost mom almost 4years ago, at age 94.) Aunt Ruth was the last of Mom's 7 sisters and 4 brothers.

Mom was close to her family. They all kept in touch with long, newsy letters of family stuff. Some might call them rambling and boring but I always liked reading those letters from all the aunts. Through the years the sisters would exchange pictures of their kids and later, their grandkids. They were all equally proud of their own families - as our mom was of hers. Because of these close ties between the sisters -our mom and aunts- I felt closer to the cousins; though we actually didn't see them often through the years.

I had not seen Aunt Ruth or my cousins in many years until 2004. We went to visit her in Alabama, and all her boys were able to be there. It was just great seeing them all again. Aunt Ruth enjoyed it so much! We all did.

It was easy to see the love her 6 sons had for her and how well she was looked after!

Aunt Ruth was a little lady- well under 5ft.
( I'm just 5ft.tall and you can see I tower over Aunt Ruth in this photo! :) )

She always had the sweetest smile!
Aunt Ruth and her boys-Hoyt, Glenn, Randall,Edward, Don and Lamar (2004)










Aunt Ruth and June (ME) (2004





















Undated picture of... Back row- Uncle Rudolph & Aunt Bernice, Center row -Essie(my mom) and Aunt Ruth, Front-Aunt Willie




Remembering,
With
Love,

Junie

Thinking of Daddy

My dad passed away far too early in his life. He was just age 59 when he died in Nov, 1963.

Only my son Chris, of my children, has memories of him. He was age four. Tammy, my baby girl, was just age one. Tina would be born two months after Dad's passing!

It seems so sad and unfair that he never knew several of his grandchildren!

I will never forget the day we said our last goodbyes to Daddy at his final resting place at Pleasant Hill! The combination of the extremely hot day, my being several months pregnant, the long trip we had made from Florida to Alabama, and the natural emotional experience of having lost Dad, all worked together against me! At one point I came near to fainting; with only a sip of water from an aunt- saving me!

This was my first experience in losing someone really close to me...I remember the feeling of just wanting Daddy to get up from his sleep...

I always take flowers when we visit Alabama. I remember yellow was his favorite color! I added some yellow roses this time, to flowers that some of the relatives had recently put there.

Love you, Daddy

Junie