Our Mom - The Unsung Heroine

Earlier today, I was being interviewed on the phone for an upcoming newspaper article about the winery. ...   "Yes, 4 brothers"   ".... No other siblings?"  "Nope"   "Oh, your poor Mother!" 

Yes, our poor Mom (RIP). She worked so hard taking care of my Dad and us four boys. Today (April 2nd) was her birthday.  She would have been 84 years old today.  I thought it would be nice to take some flowers and visit her grave at the cemetery in St. Helena.  

After work, I went home and collected these flowers to leave at her gravesite.  Cindy arranged them and we got ready to leave. But when we got there, I realized that I had forgotten the flowers. Poor Mom.

It seems that whenever the history of the family, the vineyard management company & the winery are discussed, Mom is seldom acknowledeged.  But she was the hidden strength that made it all work.  I miss her and wish I could give her a hug and thank her for all the things I should have thanked her for growing up. She devoted her entire life to her family, and asked for/got so little in return.  Thanks Mom... Sorry about the flowers.

After visiting Mom (& Dad's) gravesite, we went to where my Dad's Mom & Dad (our grandparents) are laid to rest.  They were born in Spain in the late 1800's.

This is a picture of my grandparents on their wedding day.  If you think she looks a little scared, it's with good reason.  Her life was to be no easier than my Mom's, but that's a topic for another blog.

Just to the left of their plot, I noticed a variety of headstones representing immigrants from many places around the world.  It was a physical representation of the United States as a "melting pot".

"Native of Armenia   Native of Germany"

The names evoked images of Ellis Island & Angel Island in my mind and I wondered what hardships those mothers had to endure.

Mother's Day is May 9th... And don't you forget it!