Memère

I've been thinking of Memère, my deceased mother-in-law, lately. She had little sayings that seem to have stuck with me. For example, she always said, "Never two but three." Usually in reference to people passing on. Well, it's been exactly like that lately. First we received news a former neighbour had lost his battle with cancer. Then our play's director lost his aged Dad. And like the proverbial 2nd shoe dropping, it wasn't long before we learned of the death of a friend's sister whom we'd known for years. Never two but three. All will be missed.

After Memère's sister, Cora, died, if anyone was sick but, more particularly, cut and bleeding, she told them to think or pray to C'coon - Cora's nick name. Cora, from on high, would staunch the bleeding. Well, sure enough everyone in the family would incite C'Coon's name at anything greater than a pin-prick. I think the family's attitude was "Well...it's worth a try." I hope Pierre who is recovering from heart surgery is giving Cora some thought these days so his sutures heal quickly!

Then she'd say if you cut your hair outdoors, birds would line with nests with your hair which in turn would cause you headaches. Now, not too many of us cut or have our hair cut outdoors so there's little risk...but I found it one of Memère's oddities and often wondered where that one came from. Perhaps the children got the scissors out one day and she was prompted to come up with a good one. Who knows?

Memère was amongt the last of her kind: a staunch Catholic of French Canadian descent. No birth control for her, she birthed fourteen children. It's hard to imagine but it's true: I married her 14th child. Suffering what no mother should, she endured the loss of several children, losing one to a childhood disease, another to a car accident, another to cancer, and the loss of her husband when she still had children to see through to adulthood. She managed by sheer determination, strong faith, an incredible work ethic, and the help of her many children. She could bake bread unlike any other. Everything she cooked was cooked with love and loved for its marvelous flavour. She loved cards and gambling, even travelling once to the gambling mecca of the world - Vegas! She had a ball.

There are now 7 adult children left, only half of her nest. All good people, they've passed Memère's values on to their own children. And her voice echoes still when we hear her favourite sayings oft repeated.