LITTLE BITS OF DORIS

I've been thinking a lot lately about my grandma Doris (my moms mother). Her story is an interesting one and worth telling, but I can't tell it all in one night so I'll post about how and when she got married since it's most often on my mind. My life experiences right now bring me to think about her and compare her life to mine.

My mom was robbed of her mother at the young age of 33! My age 10 months from now. She died 2 months before my 7th birthday. She has been gone a little over 25 years and I still have memories of her and many things remind me of her. After all these years it's still very clear in my heart and mind how I felt when she died.

In July of 1999 at the age of 21 1/2 I had a realization that I might be robbed of my mother. 10 years later my mom is still here and I'm very lucky.

Grandma was born in 1914 and around the age of 35 she found herself still single and many referred to her as the old spinster. Now days being in your thirties not married it's more normal, back then it was unheard of. Soon after age 35 Grandma was introduced to a divorced man (twice divorced) named Arvid who was friends with her brother in-law and they married soon after. Grandma didn't know a lot of his past and heartbreak was not far away. No long after they were married Grandma got pregnant and miscarried a little boy. Soon after she was able to get pregnant with my mom. Arvid left grandma before mom was born! Talk about a shmuck!

Grandma raised my Mom with the help of her parents. But not for very long, both of her parents passed away before mom was 4. It was just the two of them til mom was 10 when at the age of 47 she married Grandpa Scott. Mom says that it wasn't the best relationship but Grandma wanted so badly to be sealed to my mom that she married him. They were married til the day she died and he was actively apart of our lives until he died about 10 years later. I know she wasn't 100% happy but having my mother was the happiest part of her life and that was all that mattered and mom will never wonder if she was loved it was obvious!

I found a photo album years after grandma had passed away and it had pictures of her during her teen years and 20's. There is a man who is in a few of these pictures that is very handsome and is often found with his arms around her and there is even one of them kissing. Grandma has written on the pictures PAL. I think they were more than pals. I asked mom about this man and she says that they knew each other for a long time and that becuase of numerous health issues and his responsibility to take care of his widowed mother that he was to never marry. Here is a picture of the two of them in April 1936, grandma was 22 years old.

I think if given the chance and different circumstances they might have ended up together.

My story will probably be nothing like hers but we have a common bond and I feel like she is here beside me often keeping me positive!

I've learned many lessons from her experiences and will try to make good decisions and keep pressing forward no matter what life brings!