A Tribute to the Best Mom Ever

My mom died on April 21, 2013. She reached the respectable age of 101 years and 8 months. I still miss her, but I'm at peace that she has gone, because she didn't want to live any longer. She didn't suffer, so we're actually very grateful for that.

My mom loved the summer season all her life. It took a long time though before we actually took our first holiday, somewhere in the late 1950s/early1960s when we got our first car.

So in remembrance of my Mom, I searched the family albums for some photos of her, celebrating the summer throughout the years of her life. I found only one photo of my mom when she was a young kid.

My mom was born on August 24, 1911 in Amsterdam. She had an older sister and got a younger brother later on. I think she was about 4 years old when the photo above was taken. It's the only photo I have from my mom as a young child.

I don't know where this photo is taken, but I know it was just before or just after she met my Dad, so it must be somewhere around 1935.

I think this must have been taken in 1946 at my grandma's house (she's standing in the window) up North in the city of Groningen. My dad had gone to war in Indonesia in 1946 for three years. At the left is my eldest sister Wiea (1940), in the middle that's me (1944) and at the right is my sister Marijke (1942).

This is in our house in the city of Dordrecht. My dad was still at war in Indonesia. The painting at the wall shows a bust of Michael Angelo's 'Dying slave' and I have that painting hanging in my house now. Looking at the clothes we're wearing, it must have been summer.

My sister Marijke and her husband Jan had bought an old schoolhouse in the Dordogne, France and my parents were visiting them. Long time ago, the little girl is about 40 now. Except for the little girl, all grownups have passed away now. Summers will never be the same again.

I think the person on the left is one of my nieces and next to her is my mom, my sister Wiea and my auntie Greet, drinking coffee in my sisters garden in Arnhem.

My mom has always been a creative lady.

She used to make rag dolls for us when we were little.

Later in life she started making dolls to hang on the wall. The one she's making here is still hanging on her wall.

I took a picture of it the other day. On the left photo you can see the size of those dolls.

We always had some kind of animals at home, a dog, cats and guinea pigs. Their cage was on the floor and they could walk freely through the room (did you know guinea pigs can be potty trained like cats?) and whenever the cats got curious and wanted to explore their cage, the guinea pigs attacked the cats. They didn't want them near their home.

One time my parents discovered this lovely camping in France in the region Provence in the village St. Ferriol de Trente Pas. It was the beginning of an 18 year long going back. The camping owners became their friends as were some of the local habitants. In that time they were the only Dutch people on that camping. It was the 1970s. It was a beautiful camping located in a beautiful nature.

My mom always entertained the whole crowd of kids, either with games, telling stories or teaching them a song. The one next to her on the right photo is our eldest daughter Iske May.

This photo must have been taken somewhere in the 1980s because my Hubby still had his beard.

In 1995 my mom sold her car and got an invalid scooter on which she roamed the beautiful nature in our area, loving every minute of it.

In 2010 my mom had been fallen a lot and it appeared she couldn't walk by herself anymore and became bed-bound. She didn't like it at all, her world became too small. but she still liked to sit in the sun whenever she could.

At my mom's 100th birthday still enjoying a bit of sun.

My summers will never be the same again,
without you being there my dearest Mom,
to ride with me on unknown trips through
Belgium's hills and valleys.

I close my eyes and hear you laugh,
your humor I will keep forever.

Remember when you lost your teeth,
in the sea in Portugal?
You had to laugh so hard and they
fell down, it took you an hour to find them again.

I read the stories you wrote down
about your travelling abroad.
You were 85 when you took a trip south,
to say goodbye to the Provence in France.
I said 'take it easy mom' and you said yes,
but you didn't do that. Remember?
I should've known better than to think
you would sleep overnight in between.

I know I'll miss you this summer,
my sweet, sweet Mommy Muys,
but I know you are where you wanted to be,
up there with the Lord of your faith
and Dad of course.

It doesn't matter how old your mom is when she passes away, it's always too soon and never too late.