Remembering Mom: She was Always 29

Mom wasn't vain or pretentious about her appearance or her apparel. She was a modest person who put more emphasis on getting ready quickly than she did on fashion. She was never unkempt. She liked her hair short, she wore no makeup, and she dressed modestly. Despite that, when it came to her age, she was always 29 years old. 

She wasn't vain about her age. She just needed to be younger than her mother, Dobie, who always claimed to be 39 years old.

I don't recall if she got mad at me when I passed a note to Jack Addy to announce at a Cub Scout pack meeting that it was the third or fourth anniversary of her 29th birthday. She was embarrassed at the least when that jovial soul had her stand for the crowd. I don't remember getting into trouble over it, but I don't remember getting ice cream either.

She loved watching her grandchildren as they calculated how she could be younger than her children and finally figure out that she was teasing them! When the last of the grandchildren had it figured out, the tale kept going on to her great grandchildren!

I took her for a birthday dinner at my sister's house on May 31, 2014. She walked into a surprise party to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her 29th birthday. 

It was a gala event for her! She loved seeing a few of her godchildren, several of her friends, and some nephews and nieces who made it over to celebrate with her. A video of pictures and memories with a background of music looped on the TV for the day. She normally didn't want to be the center of attention, but she relished in it that day!

The only thing that would have made that day more complete would have been if my grandmother, Dobie, had been there, but, alas, she had died an old lady many years before that day. Of course, she would admit to being only 39 years old, which is the reason why Mom was always 29!