When one gets married "young and in love," it happens he or she is without the basic items to "keep house." I remember my dad saying, "Love doesn't get the clothes washed." He was referring to my lack of a washing machine. So after I was married at the end of the summer of 1988, my parents feeling sorry for me, gave me their machine. My mom said it was "time for an upgrade." I knew it was a present of love. My husband wondered if they were afraid we would smell bad. Anyway, I whole heartedly received my mom's 5 year old Maytag Machine. I was thrilled to not have to trudge to the local laundry service. My dad got my mom "another brand" washing machine and we were all set in a part of our housekeeping chores. It was around three years and two children later that my mom became ill with a rare form of cancer. She died several months later.

After her death, I was putting clothes in my washer and teary-eyed recalled the joy of her gift some years earlier. It was after this experience, when I started calling my washing machine "mama."

My children now 18 and 15 have been taught the chore of washing clothes. They tell everyone the story of "meme the washer." Yes, my washer has lasted through my children's infancy, all their illnesses, and more messy clothes than I care to think about. It even brought us through my husband's kidney transplant.

Recently, the day came and we decided it was time for us to replace our washer. The old one wasn't broke but just tired. When we got to the store, I found the one that felt right, of course it was a Maytag.

Some people say we just "got a good one." They are exactly right. A Maytag. Thank you so much for your outstanding quality.

There is a story behind my buying this washing machine. It isn't the best. The best was the 20+ MAYTAG we had before this new one. This one is great. It is quiet and runs well, we just miss our old one. It was part of the family.