Cardboard and Aluminum Foil

Hi everyone. This post is going to be a little different because just recently my mother went home to be with the Lord. Great for her, but sad for the rest of us who to have to deal with life without her. Just in case you were wondering I was not an only child as she had six children, 22 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. In other words, the woman had love, perseverance and patience.
Now you may be a bit dismayed when I reveal that my mother never read any of my books. What? You may gasp. What kind of a mother never reads her own child’s hard work? Well she was a great Mom, and was very proud me, but she was just not much of a reader. What can I say? She just didn’t like to read for entertainment. I know, I don’t get it either. What she was passionate about was sports, which astonished everyone who met this sweet little 85 year old lady. She didn’t look the part, but she could talk sports better than a lot of most sportscasters on TV these days. Her great love was the Los Angeles Dodgers. Crazy Dodger Fan Lady, one of my sisters affectionately called her. I, on the other hand, am not a sports enthusiast. So I didn’t make her read my books and she did not make me watch baseball. Fair’s fair.
But this isn’t meant to be a sad post, or a sports post for that matter (sorry Mom), rather it is to share of one of my happiest memories of her.
Even though she did not write books, my Mom was very creative, more out of necessity than design. For instance, whenever we needed a costume, for a party or something, Mom would come up with the most unique ideas. My favorite was when I got a last minute invitation to a costume party and she had to come up with something quick. So what did she make me? A wind-up doll. Seriously! Now that’s creative, and she didn’t buy any of it, she made do with what she had and then invented the rest.
Mom put me in a white blouse and pinafore dress my sister had used when she played Dorothy in a school production of the Wizard of Oz. My sister always ended up with the lead somehow. Elementary school politics or talent? That's another conspiracy theory for a different post. Anyway, Mom made up my face like a doll, round red cheeks and everything, and then she created a wind-up key out of cardboard and aluminum foil. Somehow she got it to stick out of my back, which wasn't easy. I still don’t know how she did it, but it stayed put until I go home.
Unfortunately I have no pictures of it, we didn’t take pictures for every little occasion back then, but I was told I was really cute. When I reminded Mom of this and told her how much it meant to me her reply was merely, "That's what Moms do."
Now I have no children myself, but if you parents out there ever wonder if your kids will remember the special things you do them now, trust me they will. This was over 40 years ago and it's still one of my favorite memories, and one I especially cherish now. It may take them a while to admit it, but kids do appreciate the things you do for them. Even when they're made out of cardboard and aluminum foil.
Love you Mom.

Mystery writer C.L. Ragsdale is the author of The Reboot Files a Christian Mystery Series. A California native, she loves to "surf" the web to research plot details for her fun, quirky stories with just a bit of whopper in them. She has a degree in Theatre Arts which greatly influenced her writing style. Working in various fields as a secretary has allowed her to both master her writing skills and acquire valuable technical knowledge which she uses liberally in her plots. She loves to embroider and knit and is a big fan of the old Scooby Doo cartoons.

Current E-Books
THE REBOOT FILES:  The Mystery of Hurtleberry House, The Island of Living Trees, The Harbinger of Retribution, and The Wrong Ghost.

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