Happy Mothers Day!!!

I went to church with Stormy today because they were having a special sacrament meeting for mothers day. Nine people spoke...about their moms and the important role they have had in their lives. I sat there in tears most of the time thinking about my mom and wanting to tell her how much she has meant to me. I decided to to dedicate this blog post to her.
My Mom....

Margaret McCormick (Maggie to her friends) (Ma to her kids) was born on December 14, 1925 in Walbridge Ohio to Ernest and Zoa Gillespie.

The middle of three children, all girls. She married my Dad, Thomas McCormick on October 23, 1943.

Together they had 4 children...Sally, Nancy, Tom, and me...Cindy. Yes...that's right...I'm the baby of the family...trust me...I'm always reminded of that. I'm ** years old now...(really doesn't matter how old I am) and Ma still introduces me to people as her 'baby'. Being a mother myself I understand why she does that. The baby is always Mom's baby...it's just life and that's ok.

Mom and Dad divorced when I was about 5. Shortly after that we moved to Arizona...she used to vacation here with Dad and always loved it. I remember as a kid my mom loved the heat. I guess after living for so long in Ohio and Indiana the heat would be a welcome relief.
Ma has always been a hard worker. While still in Indiana she worked at Seyferts Potato Chip factory.

When we moved to Arizona she opened up a little Hamburger joint called "The YoYo". I was very little and have very few memories from there...but I do recall being in the back room and putting a penny in my mouth and accidentally choking on it and then swallowing it. Mom made me eat a hamburger bun...she said that would make it feel better. I'm not sure that was altogether true....but as they say "mother knows best". Whoever 'they' is.

She also worked for Motorola


Earl Scheib


and Checker Auto


Eventually she started working for Farmer's Insurance and that's where she retired from.


I remember if anything around the house needed fixed, Ma fixed it. She was forever on the roof of our mobile home (which in that day we called a trailer and were not ashamed of it) working on the swamp cooler. She mowed the yard...repaired the fence....fixed leaky faucets and just about anything else that needed to be fixed.

Mom was strong...one time I washed a pair of jeans and didn't want them to shrink so I had to hang them on the line....apparently the spin cycle didn't work so mom and i had to wring them out by hand...she was twisting so hard i couldn't hold on to them. I think I was about 15 at the time...pretty hard on the ego if you know what i mean.

When Tom moved out it was just mom and I....I liked it that way. I always looked forward to 5:10 PM when I would go out and open the gates for mom to drive in from work. We enjoyed watching tv together in the evenings.

Over the years I've learned a lot from my mom. Some of her 'mom-ism's' have rubbed off on me...."For crying out loud"...."Well, for Pete's sake"....and of course..."shame on you"....apparently I heard that one a lot. I don't ever remember a time in my childhood that we didn't have at least one pet in the house. Ma loves animals....and so do I.


Some things I inherited from her...like my, shall we call it "ability"?..to eat fast. When I was a kid I was always amazed at how fast my mom ate. After I had children of my own I one day learned from my daughters that when they were younger they always secretly tried to eat faster than me....keep trying girls....I'm still the champ. :) I guess I also learned how to worry from my mom....she's a worrier....and so am I. I remember when I was a kid and there was a little tune that went like this " don't step on a crack or you'll break your mother's back". For years I avoided every crack I possibly could. I never wanted my mom to hurt or be sad. One time she cried for joy at a gift she had received...it bothered me so much I couldn't hold back the tears. When I was about to get married and move out I was so worried about leaving mom alone. She did her best to assure me that she would be happy to have the house to herself. I took her word for it...but I'm pretty sure she missed me. :)
Ma was so supportive of my marriage. She loved Alex and knew I did too and just wanted me to be happy. It's wonderful to have the support of your mother at such an important time in life.
Mom was at the hospital for the birth of each of my children...sitting in the waiting room...worrying.
To this day if any of her kids or grandkids go on a trip she worries the entire time until they're safely back home.
After I got married and had a family life got very busy as it does for everyone. It wasn't always easy to find time to visit mom real often.
Now that my kids are grown and on their own I've tried to see her more often. Currently I make a point to visit her at least once a week. We have a good time...I do her hair...we watch TV....and she always has a treat for me. :)
It's fun to reminisce about the "old" days...(wow...I never thought I would say that I lived in the "old" days...but now I know it's true) when mom would put a cold knife on a bump on my forehead....butter on a burn on my hand...run the dishwater to a temperature well above scalding and then ask me to wash the dishes...hold my arm in the air above my head if I choked (????)...and of course....she was always there to hold my head for me when I threw up.

Mom...I love you....thank you for being my mom....you're the best.
Happy Mothers Day!!