MOTHER MANNING

It's a favorite among the Irish, the song Mother Mc Cree, it sums up all the deep emotion and love that the Irish have for mothers, especially their own. When you hear the song sung and look into the eyes of an Irishman, there is a distant look, backward to the days of mom when life was at its best.

There's a spot in me heart which no colleen may own,

There's a depth in me soul never sounded or known,

There's a place in my mem'ry, my life that you fill,

No other can take it, no one ever will,

The words tell you all you need to know and hear, that she is THE memory in the lives of Irish children, a beautiful thing to behold.

(Chorus)

Sure I love the dear silver that shines in your hair,

And the brow that's all furrowed and wrinkled with care.

I kiss the dear fingers so toil-worn for me,

Oh, God bless you and keep you, Mother Machree!

I had a Mother McCree and I often think about her, remembering a laugh, a smile and a kindness that was ever-present. I, of course, was a lucky one, who loved his mother-in-law and was always happy to see her. But to get the full benefits of her visit, one needed to engage her in her past, her days as a child and memories of event s that shaped her heart and soul. There was the time she rode with her father in his car, and someone passed him on the road, and how he got his dander up and decided it was an affront to his manhood to have anyone pass him. She would laugh when she told it.

There was the Grandma Helen I feared when she got ahold of my kids and spoiled them, buying them all kinds of toys every time she saw them. I had to beg my wife to ask her mother not to buy these little toys because they were all over my house like locust!

Then there is the Mary McBride cookbook, a family heirloom that TLW (The Little Woman) brought with her when she married me. It is a special cookbook that was used by Helen. If anything, Helen loved versatility. The cookbook helped her cook, but also help her children do their homework.

The Cookbook

Of course, I can't forget the stories TLW related to me through the years about her mom when Mom's children were little, like the one where she took out her pots and pans and gave them to her kids to play with, IN THE MUD! A cool mom or what?

 

Notice the cut out! Homework

Today is Helen's birthday, she would have been 104. She lies peacefully in a cemetery with her beloved Jim, with a view of my parent's grave, just two rows over and so easy when we visit the graves.

So, when you hear that beautiful ode to Mother McCree, think of your own mom and all the tenderness you experienced, I know I will. I miss my mom, she passed a few years ago and this song triggered memories of two moms, how lucky I am.