Elizabeth,
I will always remember the all good times we shared.
Crafts with Lorraine when we were kids, our lunches at Burdines, fashion shows at Jordan Marsh with Mammy and Lorraine and Aunt Regina. I remember weekends at the knit shops with Angel and the three of us spending Sundays at the salon. I remember playing games, and birthday pizza, the flaming plum pudding that one Christmas and the homemade bread. I remember the gardens and the trips to Mounts for the plant sales and the line of volunteers following you with full buggies while Angel and I just shook our heads. I remember the macrame with Rene and the needlepoint canvases you designed for Knit and Purl. I remember the hand-painted handbags that were in shops on Worth Avenue and the T-shirts you made for the drama fest when I was at PBJC. I remember the hand-painted aprons and t's.
I remember helping you with Avon when you sold it back in the day and that blue and green suitcase you kept it in (Yes I know it was Avon issued). I still have the perfume pins you used to get me.
Like so many of my friends, I remember the art you taught at First Baptist and the paper mache hippo in the playground. I remember the logos you designed for Worth Avenue Burger Place and Hamburger Heaven. I remember the 4th grade newsletter we did and waxers and non repro blue pencils. Working on the Peregrine with Ava Potente and Dana Trotsky. I remember coloring together and the foam "paper" dolls you with the clothes that clung on designed for me and tried to market. I remember how much you loved Brian and how happy you looked when you found a beer or hit sauce he hadn't tried yet and the three of us watching Seinfeld and mad about you after Wednesday dinners, and that time he went home for Thanksgiving and forgetting he didn't tell me he was not coming home until Monday and your listening to me sure that he had had an accident or something and how relieved you were when he came over because I finally stopped crying, and how you went to his house to get my things for me when we broke up and you trying to be conscious about my not wanting to go to past the area where he lived on 4th and J because I was completely broken-hearted.
I remember spending my 21st birthday in the ER because you asked me what I wanted for dinner I said the new spicy KFC and you said no we are going to have Chinese and then promptly fell out the door and broke both legs. I and I still have the marks on my palm from when they cut the window in your cast and the 12 yr old doctor cut it wrong and whacked it back into place before I suggested a wedge shape would have been better and he used the crowbar to pry it back out.
I remember bowling at Verde's Tropicana and the time I stepped into the lane and slid down it and movies at the Carefree Theatre. I remember going to the Rat with you and Angel for the flower and garden festivals and the love of butterflies, because I think you always wanted to be free. I remember you fixing the ears on my bunny costume for ballet and all the Halloween costumes you made me and have always loved the queen of spades costume.
I remember you like I am sure you remember Mammy working hard to be able to provide for us before and after the divorce from Fronco. And I remember when we had mother daughter dresses and when you made me clothes and that it was best to go see Mammy when you did because as artistic and creative as you were the patterns did not click with you. I had the same thing happen when i tried to learn Fusion. I can do the graphics no issues but the movement rendering never clicked. And I remember you making me Wa-Was and how fun it was when we went to the fabric store together to make a new one and that time when we got rhinestone eyes for him.
I remember our Christmas days at the zoo and the tree with all the ornaments you had made all looking like stained glass and how i was always allowed to put my red bird in a special place on the tree and when we would "wrap" Aunt Bev's present for Uncle Bill and driving around looking at holiday lights especially the year we found Snug Harbor's amazing display. I remember our paying dress up and how I loved looking at your jewelry and giving you leg rubs. And I remember hearing you gasp and the bruise on Jennifer's arm when you grabbed her when I said bullshit on stage during Nothing from A Chorus Line and how proud you were and how you told everyone that Herbert Swope said I needed to go to New York immediately.
I remember you waiting in the car outside Diana Loy's house listening to my voice lessons and the musicals we did with Mrs. Dowling at FUMC and hearing the story about how you fell down the sanctuary stairs and when you called out "There you are biddy you bad boy. Just you wait until mamma gets you" in the middle of a church service when you were young.
I remember going to Palm Beach and the time when I was 4 that you thought I was drowning and you sent the life guard out to fetch me and how mad I was because I knew what I was doing, I was swimming out and around the jetti to get out of the undertow and swim back in on the other side. And I remember you playing the piano and me singing along and the fake books you played from. I remember you offering Tim $50 dollars if he would take me off your hands and how you always opened the house to my friends and how impressed you were when I cut it into a bob and Punk Rock day at FHHS when you shellacked my hair with purple and green glitter.
And I remember is laughing together and that's what I always loved the most.
From you I got my ability to draw, my love of cats, and flowers, and my creativity, my intelligence and to ask why And I got my clumsiness and because of you I learned not to go through life sticking fingers toes and arms in everything, especially Kotex dispensers when you are 11 months pregnant. And because of you when I saw one open I to a picture of it to give to you so you would finally be able to see what was on the inside.
I know that we had our moments and fights and distances. And more often than I think either of us wanted we got in our own way as far as that was concerned. And I know I never told you this but the main reason I call you Elizabeth is because more than anything I really wanted us to be friends, that and because my whole life you had been Elizabeth and that was the name Mammy gave you and maybe a part of me knew that when she passed you missed having a close relationship with her like I will always miss with you and that would keep a part of her with you.
Thank you for being my mother. I love you Elizabeth... always have, always will.
I will always remember the all good times we shared.
Crafts with Lorraine when we were kids, our lunches at Burdines, fashion shows at Jordan Marsh with Mammy and Lorraine and Aunt Regina. I remember weekends at the knit shops with Angel and the three of us spending Sundays at the salon. I remember playing games, and birthday pizza, the flaming plum pudding that one Christmas and the homemade bread. I remember the gardens and the trips to Mounts for the plant sales and the line of volunteers following you with full buggies while Angel and I just shook our heads. I remember the macrame with Rene and the needlepoint canvases you designed for Knit and Purl. I remember the hand-painted handbags that were in shops on Worth Avenue and the T-shirts you made for the drama fest when I was at PBJC. I remember the hand-painted aprons and t's.
I remember helping you with Avon when you sold it back in the day and that blue and green suitcase you kept it in (Yes I know it was Avon issued). I still have the perfume pins you used to get me.
Like so many of my friends, I remember the art you taught at First Baptist and the paper mache hippo in the playground. I remember the logos you designed for Worth Avenue Burger Place and Hamburger Heaven. I remember the 4th grade newsletter we did and waxers and non repro blue pencils. Working on the Peregrine with Ava Potente and Dana Trotsky. I remember coloring together and the foam "paper" dolls you with the clothes that clung on designed for me and tried to market. I remember how much you loved Brian and how happy you looked when you found a beer or hit sauce he hadn't tried yet and the three of us watching Seinfeld and mad about you after Wednesday dinners, and that time he went home for Thanksgiving and forgetting he didn't tell me he was not coming home until Monday and your listening to me sure that he had had an accident or something and how relieved you were when he came over because I finally stopped crying, and how you went to his house to get my things for me when we broke up and you trying to be conscious about my not wanting to go to past the area where he lived on 4th and J because I was completely broken-hearted.
I remember spending my 21st birthday in the ER because you asked me what I wanted for dinner I said the new spicy KFC and you said no we are going to have Chinese and then promptly fell out the door and broke both legs. I and I still have the marks on my palm from when they cut the window in your cast and the 12 yr old doctor cut it wrong and whacked it back into place before I suggested a wedge shape would have been better and he used the crowbar to pry it back out.
I remember bowling at Verde's Tropicana and the time I stepped into the lane and slid down it and movies at the Carefree Theatre. I remember going to the Rat with you and Angel for the flower and garden festivals and the love of butterflies, because I think you always wanted to be free. I remember you fixing the ears on my bunny costume for ballet and all the Halloween costumes you made me and have always loved the queen of spades costume.
I remember you like I am sure you remember Mammy working hard to be able to provide for us before and after the divorce from Fronco. And I remember when we had mother daughter dresses and when you made me clothes and that it was best to go see Mammy when you did because as artistic and creative as you were the patterns did not click with you. I had the same thing happen when i tried to learn Fusion. I can do the graphics no issues but the movement rendering never clicked. And I remember you making me Wa-Was and how fun it was when we went to the fabric store together to make a new one and that time when we got rhinestone eyes for him.
I remember our Christmas days at the zoo and the tree with all the ornaments you had made all looking like stained glass and how i was always allowed to put my red bird in a special place on the tree and when we would "wrap" Aunt Bev's present for Uncle Bill and driving around looking at holiday lights especially the year we found Snug Harbor's amazing display. I remember our paying dress up and how I loved looking at your jewelry and giving you leg rubs. And I remember hearing you gasp and the bruise on Jennifer's arm when you grabbed her when I said bullshit on stage during Nothing from A Chorus Line and how proud you were and how you told everyone that Herbert Swope said I needed to go to New York immediately.
I remember you waiting in the car outside Diana Loy's house listening to my voice lessons and the musicals we did with Mrs. Dowling at FUMC and hearing the story about how you fell down the sanctuary stairs and when you called out "There you are biddy you bad boy. Just you wait until mamma gets you" in the middle of a church service when you were young.
I remember going to Palm Beach and the time when I was 4 that you thought I was drowning and you sent the life guard out to fetch me and how mad I was because I knew what I was doing, I was swimming out and around the jetti to get out of the undertow and swim back in on the other side. And I remember you playing the piano and me singing along and the fake books you played from. I remember you offering Tim $50 dollars if he would take me off your hands and how you always opened the house to my friends and how impressed you were when I cut it into a bob and Punk Rock day at FHHS when you shellacked my hair with purple and green glitter.
And I remember is laughing together and that's what I always loved the most.
From you I got my ability to draw, my love of cats, and flowers, and my creativity, my intelligence and to ask why And I got my clumsiness and because of you I learned not to go through life sticking fingers toes and arms in everything, especially Kotex dispensers when you are 11 months pregnant. And because of you when I saw one open I to a picture of it to give to you so you would finally be able to see what was on the inside.
I know that we had our moments and fights and distances. And more often than I think either of us wanted we got in our own way as far as that was concerned. And I know I never told you this but the main reason I call you Elizabeth is because more than anything I really wanted us to be friends, that and because my whole life you had been Elizabeth and that was the name Mammy gave you and maybe a part of me knew that when she passed you missed having a close relationship with her like I will always miss with you and that would keep a part of her with you.
Thank you for being my mother. I love you Elizabeth... always have, always will.
Wanted to share some of my songs that she loved best:
