To know her was to love her! So many adjectives described my Mom...kind, gentle, caring, loving, creative, happy, tender, giving, tolerant, talented, fun to be with and so many more.
I remember the day my older brother, Bob, brought home this adorable 6 week old, little black ball of fur called a puppy. Now mind you... this was way back during depression times, around 1934-35. Times were tough, and although Dad did have a job, it was hard to make ends meet for a family of four people and a cat, let alone adding another mouth to feed.
I was just 9 or 10 years old at the time. I remember coming home from school for lunch, and Bob taking me down to the cellar where he magically produced a tiny black puppy. Needless to say, I was thrilled and very excited....However he told me that Mom had said..."there`s no way your father will let you keep that puppy."
Now..when Mom saw the anxious expressions on our faces, she said..."I`ll tell you what, you keep the pup down here until after we have finished supper, and try to keep her quiet. Dad will be in a more receptive mood after he has had a good meal."
So Mom made Dad his very favorite meal that night...even some inexpensive, but healthy desert, to top it off and put him in the best possible mood...somehow Mom always seemed to know the best way to get around a sticky situation.
Meanwhile, Bob and I spent all afternoon downstairs playing with our new found love. When Dad came home from work we had to sit down for supper, but two more nervous kids you never did see...every few minutes Mom would give us a side-wise glance and a quick wink of the eye, just to let us know she was "with us". We were both hoping that her little strategy would work.
As soon as we could be excused from the table, Bob and I hightailed it back downstairs to the puppy. After a while, Dad opened the door and yelled down..."What are you kids doing down there?"....whereupon Bob answered "Come on down and see". When he came down to investigate and saw what was over in the corner, he said..."Oh no, we just can`t have a dog", but when Bob handed the pup to him and he cradled that tiny fluffy bundle of joy in his arms, he just "melted"...she looked just like a little black bear cub...and from that moment on, she was destined to join our family for the rest of her 11 years on this planet.
We then had to find a good name for her. As her mother was a full-blooded black Chinese Chow-Chow, Dad came up with the name "Foo-Man-Chu". Of course, we didn`t care WHAT her name was, as long as we got to keep her.
As it happend...she wouldn`t carry that name for very long. It seemed, as she began to grow, we realized that our pup was not a "full-blooded" Chow...you see she never did develop the traditional "ruff" around the neck area that Chow dogs are known for.
After a bit of investigating, it was determined that she had been sired by...of all things...the Catholic Priest`s Doberman! After we realized what her heritage was, or wasn`t, Dad uttered the word "Phoey".
Well from that day on, our beloved pup became "Fooey", kind of short for Fu-Man-Chu, and Fooey it remained for the rest of her life.
We let her have about three litters of the most adorable puppies, and after that she was spayed... and just devoted herself to being our beloved
~ FOOEY ~
Yes...I remember you, Mother dear, and I thank you for allowing me to grow up learning from the example you set for me, which has stood me in good stead throughout my lifetime. I look forward to the time when we will be reunited in God`s paradise....
I will love you always.
~ Your loving daughter-Janet ~
| Janet's Mum, Frances, passed on November 23, 1976. Exactly 25 years later, Frances' own daughter, Janet, passed on November 23, 2001. They are finally together again. God bless Nana and Mum, Frances and Janet, as well as my Dad, Reese, who has been waiting also for Janet since 1978. With Love, |
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