On my Birthday, In Honor of my Mother ~ Phyllis Meredith Meacham

Dear Finn & Hazel,
Today is my birthday, and I'm writing this post in honor of my Mother, Phyllis Meredith Meacham, your Great Grandmother. She gave me life on this day 58 years ago on a Navy Base in Corpus Christi, Texas. I am her first born daughter, hence she chose my middle name to be Meredith like hers, and her mother's (my Grandmother). As I later named my first born daughter, Lacie Meredith, to continue the tradition. (your Mother)

Phyllis Meredith Meacham, Lynn Meredith Meacham, Doris Meredith Seaver 

Gramma, Mommy & Me ~ Three Generations!!!

Mommy, Grandpa Trimble & Me ~ Almost 6 Months Old ~ 1957

Mommy, Daddy, Great Grandma Trimble, Grandpa Trimble & Me

 My First Birthday ~ Nov. 26, 1957

Mommy, Daddy & Me ~ 5 months old ~ May 1957

My nickname was "Ears McClears" because of my ears, and to this day I don't like wearing my hair back. Mommy was a "Stay at Home Mom" for all of my childhood. Later, when I was in High School she started working part time as a Laboratory Technician. She graduated from Sequoia High School, attended the University of Santa Barbara, and then graduated from San Jose State.
When I was little I remember her tirelessly driving me and my two sisters (Jan & Kathy) to dancing & swimming lessons, we also took piano lessons. She was very talented around the house: she could sew, knit, wallpaper, paint, garden, play bridge, bake pies, and for years she enjoyed making miniatures, and even belonged to a Miniature Club. My childhood was a happy one, and I have many fond memories growing up in my parents home.

Mom, Dad, Me, Kathy & Jan ~ Oct. 24, 1964

We have had our ups and downs as most Mother & Daughters do...as it is a very complex relationship. When I was a young Mother myself I remember us being especially close.
After a bitterly hard divorce, I drove my two young daughters (Lacie & Rebecca) with our laundry in tow, from Petaluma, CA to my parents home in Redwood City, CA almost every weekend. We would marvel over every new thing Lacie & Rebecca did, and discuss every detail at length.
Then after we moved to Camino, CA and my children grew older they spent school holidays & summer vacations with my parents. It was good for them to know their Grandparents, spend time with them, and to know their roots. It was also a much needed break for me as a single parent. My parents took the place of their father being mostly absent in their lives.
Hands down, being a single parent was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life...emotionally & financially. Nobody can understand all the struggles of being a single parent,"unless they have walked in my shoes" especially when there was NO help in any way, shape, or form, from the other parent.
I couldn't have raised Lacie & Rebecca without the help of my Mom & Dad, and I'll be forever grateful for all that they did...and still do.

Mom, her beloved dog Rex, Kathy, Lacie, Finn & Hazel ~ Summer 2014

Your mother Lacie, looks a lot more like my mother than I do, but sometimes when I catch a glimpse of myself in a store window I see my Mom looking back at me.
Also, when I look down at my hands, I see my mother's hands...

Me & My Mom ~ Dec. 2009

She is the only person I know that says "Oh for Pete's sake!"and "Jeez Louise!" I love you Mommy!