Remembering Momsy

My Momsy saved keepsakes in a very organized fashion! She had large envelopes filled with every letter and card we had made her over the years in her cedar chest with each daughter's name on it for us to find when she was gone.
She was filled with the gift of giving... her time and anything extra she had...it was her love language. It sums up how she loved us girls and our families
She grew up with very little of the "extras" of life. She was born during the Great Depression. By the time her girls had married and started their own families, she was able to share with us from her abundance and it gave her great joy to help meet our needs even though they were usually just "wants".
She had an uncanny way of knowing just what one of us would "LOVE" to have or what we might really need and surprising us with it. 
I found one of these keepsake letters this week. I had hand-written her -- yea! Way back then we didn't even have email. I was 24 years old, had been married 6 years, and our family was growing with #4 on the way. There wasn't much extra tho' we always paid the bills, but Momsy always added to the magic of our ordinary days by giving and giving and giving. 
I wrote to her at the end of 1983,  from our little famly of 5 with one more expected:
"To a loving and generous Mom & Mimi: We want you to know how much we have enjoyed, used and appreciated the following:
(1) Little undershirts to keep our tummies warm in the Winter
(2) Tapes with books that are fun to listen to
(3) Comfy white sandals
(4) Crisp new bed sheets to make climbing into bed a pleasure
(5) Big boy panties to help me go potty like a big boy
(6) Lush green outdoor carpet to make our front covered porch pretty
(7) Red Tip bushes to plant and hide our ugly wall
(8) Teddy bear fabric to make us new nite gowns
(9) Little white sandals to keep our toes cool 
(10) A wonderful mini tape recorder to enjoy listening to our cassettes
(11) 2 pretty plants in planters
(12) "Herman" for lots of good sourdough bread
(13) A soft tiny blanket for our new baby
(14) Magazines you save and pass on for us to enjoy too
(15) Beautiful new silverware that will set us a pretty table
(16) A lovely hanging geranium to add color to our front porch
(17) Poison to keep all the "micies" AWAY
(18) New socks for Roger's stinky feet
(19) New unders, with NO holes, for Roger too
(20) A little red seat that folds up, just - our- size!
(21) Everything else I forgot to mention and write down.
We want you to know you make every time we see you like Christmas and we know it's just one way you like to say how much you love us and we want you to know WE LOVE YOU TOO and THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
You are definitely the best in the east, west, north or south when it comes to being a "MOM" and a "MIMI". 
Love, 
Roger, Mar, and the little people: Mara Melissa, Erica, Adam and Little ?

{When I read this long forgotten letter from 34 years ago, it made me realize how blessed I am today and that we were really struggling way back when to just get by...I mean reading over this list of what she was gifting us makes me chuckle today, but remembering that each of those things she gave were really needed or something I really wanted but had no extra in the piggy bank for it.} 

If you mom is still with you today have you told her you love her and thanked her for what she has done for you?