REMEMBERING MY LATE MOTHER ON MOTHER’S DAY

#SMED11

On Sunday 8 May, Mother’s Day will be celebrated in South Africa – thus providing the ideal opportunity to reflect and dedicate a blog to that special person in one’s life.

Although 22 years have passed since the death of my mother, her memories still linger on. Below an attempt to compile a written collage of Joyce de Wet (nee Newman).

BEAUTY
- She was a beautiful woman, blessed with a flawless ‘Oil of Olay’ skin

HOUSEWIFE
- Thanks to my Mom, our house was well-known to guests as, ‘when you knock
on the door, Joyce has already put the kettle of water to boil’
- She always cooked sufficient food and that included food for unexpected
guests
- I fondly remember the :
baked bread on Sundays; trifle at Christmas; pickled fish at Easter and the
pot of soup during winter

BIRTHDAYS
- Before she left for work in the morning, my mother had already prepared
the table with cake, sweets and treats for us to entertain our friends
after school

ARTISTIC FLAIR
- She was well--known for knitting cabled jerseys, crocheting and doing
embroidery work

CARE-GIVER
- She was dedicated to, and ensured the well-being of my father who suffered
from muscular dystrophy


GRANDMA
- My eldest son was privileged to have grandma as nanny. I believe it was
her who planted the seed and nurtured his musical talent.


CONCLUSION
Although her time as parent and grandparent was far too short, we will always remember and cherish her lasting memories.

On a lighter note : during a 2009 visit to New Zealand, my two sisters and I visited a graveyard at the oldest church in Russel’s Bay, NZ. Three gravestones marked Joyce, Olga and Newman, caught our attention. Next week my mother’s sister, Olga, will be buried.. True to her keeping, I am confident my mother has already prepared a cup of tea for her sister’s arrival.

May they rest in peace.