I know I have many traits that I've learned from my Mom. I'm a perpetual list maker, great at covering horizontal surfaces with paper piles (ask my husband!), love to sew and consider myself quite organized...and more. But so often she really saw the world in a totally different way. Left Brain & Right Brain. Mom's Brain has always been so totally creative that she can't help herself - my Brain is really stuck in the logical mode most of the time.
Here's an example...
About 5 years ago my husband and I did an extensive remodel on our home - added on a big Great Room and totally redid the kitchen. It was also the same time that our youngest son was getting married in Idaho. We planned a nice Open House for Eric & Nat at our home when they would be visiting for Christmas - Dec 28. On Dec 23, I was just having my countertops and sink installed and still had to put everything back in the cupboards to get ready for Christmas and 200+ guests for the Open House.
Mom came over to help me get things put away. I had planned a drawer for my spices with a nice divided organizer and asked her to put those away. I ALWAYS alphabetized my spices in my cupboards so I can find them easily...seems so Logical to me! When I looked in the drawer after Mom was done, she had put them away Color Coordinated and by Size of the container! All the green screw top lids were together, all the red metal boxes were together, etc. I laughed out loud! I couldn't find anything!...and quickly switched it around to 'my way'.
Mom came back another day to help me some more and the next day when I reached into my spice drawer while cooking I realized that Mom had been in there and REarranged that drawer back the way she thought was correct. AARRRGGGHHH!! A big exasperated sigh from me!...and I quickly switched them all back again...alphabetical - the way I wanted.
The evening of the Open House for Eric & Nat, I saw Mom starting to open my spice drawer...I knew she was checking to see if it was still the way she had left it! With a smile on my face, I said something like: "Mom, don't you dare rearrange my spice drawer again! I'm a grown woman with a home of my own and I WANT my spices alphabetical so I can find them easily." She looked at me with this truly perplexed expression and said "but they look so much prettier when they're organized by shape and color". Oh my - everything she did was determined by her unique perspective of life...shape, color, texture, beauty. I'm sure she was still convinced that my spice drawer would be much Prettier if I let her organize it - but she never did rearrange it again. My funny, quirky Mom!
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I love that story. Form follows function for me (mine are arranged by Italian, Greek, Southern...), but I appreciate her aesthetics and your composed, logical approach. How lucky that the Allebes family was allowed the love and freedom to develop their talents, such a testament to her love, and Ted's. Thank you Shenna, for the Blog, it is a comfort, indeed. Wonderful! I am impressed with your kindness in sharing at this time, so appreciated!!!
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