Saturday, May 10, 2014

Apron Strings...the ties that bind


If there is one thing that reminds me of Mom, it would be an apron. She wore them everyday...  at least for part of the day. For many years, you didn't see women wearing them—I guess they went out of style. But just like many things, they are very popular again and many ladies are wearing them as part of their everyday attire.

It doesn't seem like four years have passed since Mom's passing but the calendar on the wall tells me otherwise. Sometimes when I look at pictures of her, I could swear that I can still hear her voice—they way she used to call my name—especially when I was (ahem) in trouble for some reason. I guess I have always had somewhat of a mischievous streak in me, if you can imagine that. Anyway, it went something like this: "DEB-OR-AH. LYNN. BILL-HEI-MER!  YOU. GET. IN. THIS. HOUSE. RIGHT. NOW!"  I knew I was really in trouble when she would use all three of my names and emphasize every syllable like that. She was a strict mom but she never failed to demonstrate unconditional love to her children. Most of the time she was pretty soft spoken. Those were precious days...even when I did get in trouble. I miss her so much, especially as we celebrate Mother's Day. I guess that goes without saying.

So...back to aprons...Mom was the Apron Queen. It was a rare occasion when you didn't see her wearing one. When I think about it, I can name only a few times during a typical week when she didn't have one on—when she was just getting up or going to bed, when she went to do her weekly grocery shopping or when she went to church. Mom's aprons were just a part of who she was and she wasn't completely dressed until she put on her apron for the day.  Back then, almost all of the ladies of the house wore aprons—even the ones on TV. June Cleaver and Donna Reed wore them often—even Lucy, just to name a few. In fact, since I started getting my thoughts together for this post, I have been more aware of the aprons on these old shows. The only difference being that they usually wore their aprons along with a string of pearls and high heels!


Mom wore neither pearls nor high heeled shoes...she didn't need to.
She was already beautiful.

Mom...looking beautiful in one of her many aprons.
Most of her aprons were home sewn, usually from left over fabric from one of the dresses she had  made for either herself or one of us girls. It didn't take much fabric to make an apron. If there was enough of the remnant left, she would design one that went around the neck so as to give more coverage—those were the best kind.  She never threw away any scraps of fabric and if they weren't big enough to make a smaller apron that just tied at the waist, they would be put in a bag for quilt squares. Of course, they were never without pockets...big pockets. Pockets big enough to hold...well, just about anything and everything that she might have the opportunity to come across during her daily cleaning and other chores. She might find some change or a comb that had dropped out of Dad's pocket. Or maybe a curler or a spoolie that had fallen out of one of her girls' hair (you have to be a child of the '50's to know what a spoolie is). I'm sure you might find an extra bobby pin or two in there as well—keeping them handy whenever a wild strand of hair would come loose from her bun that she wore on the back of her head. Or maybe even a stray dirty sock that had gotten kicked behind the chair. There's no telling what wound up in those pockets during the course of a day. At other times those big pockets could be crammed full of clothespins to keep them within reach as she hung the laundry out on the line. Of all the things that found their way into Mom's apron pockets, there was one thing that she was never without—a wadded up Kleenex. In those days, many things were used more than once! :)

We always had a big garden every summer and it wouldn't be unusual to find the skirt of her apron brimming over with fresh produce as she would gather beans or tomatoes in her "basket". Even though I only have a faint memory of the chickens that we used to keep, I'm pretty sure she must have gathered many an egg in the tails of her apron back in the day!


Mom's aprons had many other uses. I can picture her now as she would sometimes use her apron to dry her wet hands when the kitchen towel was out of reach—or to wipe away a smudge or sticky finger prints from a window pane—or the sweat from her brow as she was on her hands and knees weeding her flower beds. I'm sure there must have been countless moments when she used her apron to wipe off a dirty little face or two...or three...or eight. I can only wonder how many tears she dried with the hem of one of her many aprons. Of course, she kept back a couple of her nicest ones for special occasions like when she helped in the kitchen at the church or when she prepared a holiday dinner at home. The everyday ones became so threadbare you could almost see through them.

Mom, between her twin, Edna (left) and sis Clara (right) who is
currently 102 years old. The baby on her lap is Barbara...I think.

When I was really young and learning how to do a few household chores, Mom would give me some simple ironing to do. She would let me iron the handkerchiefs, pillow cases and her aprons. Other times, when I tried my hand at helping her in the kitchen, I remember how special I felt when I actually wore one of her aprons. I learned to sew on her old treadle sewing machine when I was a young girl and one of the first things I made (in addition to clothes for my Barbie) was an apron for her. It certainly wasn't anything fancy, just a simple square of fabric sewn on to a waistband with a couple of pockets. Mom could always use a new apron! Here are a few other photos of Mom wearing various aprons. When I was going through them, it was actually hard to find one when she didn't have an apron on!

Mom in a gingham apron holding her favorite youngest.....me :)
I can tell that she wasn't too happy with the photographer :(

Something tells me she was expecting one of us in this pic...
those tell-tail signs of pregnancy are pretty apparent!

I'm not sure what became of the aprons she had in the later years of her life—my sisters probably have kept a few of them. I'm guessing that the last few years of her life she didn't wear aprons as often since she naturally wasn't able to do as much to actually need one. Since I moved away from Ohio and have been living almost 500 miles from home, I feel I missed out on keeping up with details like that. But the one thing that I do know is that keeping these memories alive in my mind and close to my heart is what I need to do until the day I see her again in heaven.

We are all familiar with that old saying, "It's time to cut the apron strings". What do you think of when you hear this expression?  Most of us would agree that it means for a parent to cut the child loose, so to speak—so they can become responsible and independent adults—to make their own choices. This is what she did. As little children, she lovingly nurtured us as only a mother could and when we became adults and left the nest to start our own families, there was never any interference of any kind. She didn't ever butt in or try to push her ways of doing things off on to us as we raised our kids. She knew that part of her "job" had been accomplished. She was though, always there with answers to our questions, to give advice when we asked for it and to offer solutions to our problems whenever we came to her with them.


There is a song that keeps coming to mind as I ponder these thoughts about apron strings and the symbolism they represent. It is an old, old, OLD hymn that was written in 1777 by John Fawcett titled "Blest Be the Tie That Binds". I remember singing it at the Old German Baptist church that we attended. There were no instruments in the church, only the human voices beautifully blending together—most of them anyway :) When I close my eyes in quiet reflection, I can almost hear them singing....

"Blest be the tie that binds, our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above."

"Before our Father's throne, we pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one; our comforts and our cares."

"We share each other's woes, our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows the sympathizing tear."

"When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again."

"This glorious hope revives, our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives and longs to see the day."

"From sorrow, toil and pain, and sin, we shall be free,
And perfect love and friendship reign through all eternity."

So yes, I feel like Mom did cut those apron strings at the appropriate time. It's funny though, those same ties that were severed have also become the ties that bind...the ties that bind me to those people and blessed memories of where I came from—who made me who I am today. Those whose examples I try to follow.

I would like to take this opportunity to say Happy Mother's Day, especially to all of you moms today. But whether you have ever had children or not...whether you had a great relationship with your mother or not...I pray that everyone will still be able to celebrate this day and honor someone who has stepped into that role for you in one way or another. She doesn't have to be your mom—or a mom at all! Maybe you are someone who has stepped into that role for someone else. And finally, for those of us whose mothers have already left us, may we celebrate their lives today by always cherishing the precious moments we shared together!

I am so looking forward to the day when I see my sweet mom again... and if she's wearing an apron, I'm sure it will be one of her finest!








28 comments:

  1. I have enjoyed visiting your blog, Debby. my mom and grandmother always wore aprons, I can remember sewing them too. I have a friend (we are both mid-50's) that always wears an apron and her family always teases her about it! Now I too will be singing 'Blessed Be the Ties that Bind", funny how those words come back to you even after all these years!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anita,

      Thank you so much for taking a moment and reading some of my stories! I appreciate your sweet comments and hope you will visit me again, although I don't post on a regular basis. I do look forward to more of your beautiful photos!

      Speaking of photos, one of the comments on an old post regarding your awesome 360 pano shots spoke of a tutorial by someone named Ashley? Could you tell me where I might find that tutorial? I'd like to try my hand at it....if it is simple enough!

      Thanks,

      Debby

      Delete
  2. My mom always wore an apron too. I have several of her well worn aprons. She always said she didn't feel like she was fully dressed without one. Sweet memories~

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Debby,

    I so enjoyed this beautifully written tribute to your beloved mother and her signature aprons, and all their wonderful and practical uses; many of which I, myself, can relate to! Call me old fashioned, (I'd take it as a compliment!), but aprons really are a symbol of the hard working woman. I say 'woman' because one need not be married or have children to be house proud, isn't that so? The same duties apply whether you are married with children or single: cooking, cleaning, gardening, baking, etc! Of course, those apron strings have a completely different meaning, but I believe that we are never free of them, for they bind us to our memories of our mothers and everything she did for us, from preparing our hearty breakfasts to hanging freshly washed sheets out to dry on sunny days, when spring breezes naturally freshened them up for us to sweeten our sleepy heads all through the night.

    I know your Mother's Day was lovely since your memories of your own mother were sweet and very much present in your heart.

    Hugs,
    Poppy

    ReplyDelete
  4. My mother had a nice selection of aprons and I enjoyed watching her cook. Great post and memories, thank you so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I loved the apron memories, Debby! And all the wonderful photos accompanying them. My mom wore aprons for everyday cooking, but then had a few fancy ones for when we had company over. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is a beautiful, heartfelt post about your lovely mother. My mom has been gone 6 years and I miss her so much.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a blessing to be remembered this way! She must have been a wonderful person.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She was, Sandy...I miss her so much. Thank you for visiting and for your sweet comment :)

      Delete
  8. Hi Debby, thanks for visiting my blog! This is my first visit to yours and wanted to say howdy and letcha know I've been here! Lots of neat stuff to read here, I am enjoying it! Love the old photos!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your visit! I hardly get much traffic on this blog so this was kind of a surprise! I started this blog pretty much to journal family memories. There is a link to my main blog, at the very top...My Favorite Things. Have a wonderful Sunday!

      Delete
  9. I so enjoyed this reminiscing!! Just a few days ago, I and Bud were talking about aprons and moms. Well, I was talking...Bud was listening [I think!!]. I haven't worn one ever. But my mom and grandmother ALWAYS had 'em on.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Debby, this is beautiful. I enjoyed reading about your Mom. I look forward to hanging out here at your "other" blog.
    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Debby Ray, I love your writing! Why haven't I found this before? Well, I have now and am your newest follower. Wonderful stories.
    Farmhouse Hugs,
    Dru

    ReplyDelete
  12. Apron came a long way and will be here to stay. :)
    Thanks for sharing this wonderful stories.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a beautiful tribute to your mom through the symbolism of aprons. I'm sure you and your mom will have a lovely reunion one day in Heaven. Hugs. xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Debby, Love this post and the memories you share. Precious pics. I too have fond memories of the aprons my mother and grandmother wore, made and hung on the kitchen door. Your mother is looking down and so very proud of you.
    Be Blessed.
    Celestina Marie

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful post Debby! Love your family photos, so sweet.
    I wear aprons and house dresses, like my granny. So much more comfortable than jeans or shorts and it does, on occasion, make me feel like she would be so proud to see me ... dressing like her while doing my household chores. (your mom wore house dresses too!)
    My heart breaks for you, missing your mom. I am so blessed to still have my mom here and I dread the day...makes me cry just thinking about it. I used to call my granny every Saturday, and after her passing I found myself still going to the phone to call her, but having to stop myself. I miss her so much, she was such an important part of my life.
    Many blessings sweet friend,
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  16. Beautiful memories. I love to wear an apron because it keeps stains from my clothes. My husband likes for me to wear on when I cook because he knows something good is gonna come from me putting on an apron. Lovely post.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is such a beautiful, heartfelt post. What a wonderful tribute to your mama. :)

    Have a blessed day.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I enjoyed the story about your Mom. Lovely photos, too. After our Mom lost her eyesight, and Daddy had retired, he would put on her apron and make her favorite recipes. That is a sweet memory for me.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I really enjoyed reading this. It is so very similar to the way things were at our house, too. My mom wore aprons ans sometimes even now I put one on if I'm wearing something nicer than jeans and t shirt. I also notice your mom wearing a dress in each of the photos. My mother never wore slacks or shorts although when pantsuits came out in the 70's, she did wear those to keep her legs warm. My mom also let me iron the same items you mentioned. What sweet memories. So glad you shared them.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh Debbie, I love this. I have such fond memories of aprons, and have my own that I use frequently. I tend to be a bit of a sloppy cook/eater/ whatever, and I find that an apron sure saves a lot of my good tops from getting ruined. I also have a few of my husband's grandmother's aprons, that look like they were made from the old feed sack material. They are quite threadbare and falling apart, but I can't bear to part with them. They came along with her Hoosier cupboard and antique dining room set, and they have become a part of who I am today. Thank you for this wonderful walk down memory lane with your own mother and her aprons. Precious memories.

    ReplyDelete