Gifts From My Mom (Part 3)
Of all the gifts she gave us throughout her life, of the many memories I will always cherish personally, the top one has to be that of my Mother taking us to Acadia National Park as well as many of the state parks in Maine. She taught us about the beauty of Maine - about the many birds, flowers & plants, how to watch animals in the wild and even encouraged my feeble attempts of drawing Acadia's breathtaking rocky coast. It took a trip back to Acadia in 2013 to rekindle my love for this special place. When I got home from that trip, I apologized to my Mom for ever complaining as a pre-teen for the many trips to Acadia. As my mother descended into dementia, I would show her the many photos I had taken on our visits. I hope it helped her remember those beautiful places.  I remember my mother being less than thrilled when we moved to Maine from Hawaii. The day we crossed the state line, it was a cool gray day and she cried, thinking Maine was going to be a horrible place to live. Four years later, when we crossed the state line to go to move here to Florida, she cried for a different reason - she was leaving the state she had grown to love. Maine & Acadia does that to people. I count myself blessed to be one of them. Thank you, Mom for this special gift you gave especially to me. Mom, I will think of you every time I take a bite of Wild Maine Blueberry Pie, a MacIntosh apple or sweet lobster and every time I take a step when I am in Maine and Acadia. Mom - You are loved and will be missed.

Gifts From Mom (Part 2)
3.	Our Mother raised us with strict rules. Like most kids, we didn’t always like them. Looking back, I have come to realize she had those rules and restrictions in place to keep us safe. These rules taught us to grow up to be responsible adults – to be on time, to be honest, to work hard, to make wise decisions, and to live by the rules necessary to make us better citizens in this world.
4.	The Gift of Cooking & Food – My Mother was a fantastic cook and baker. Her pies, cookies and cakes were so good we told her she could have opened a bakery. She created & decorated artful cake masterpieces for our birthdays.  Her cooking skills also extended to wonderful meals – homemade stew, soup and so much more. She taught all of us to cook – my lessons started when I was 9. I laugh to myself when I recall she said that first time I managed to get peanut butter and chocolate all over the house. (I didn’t really, but it was close.) Those lessons gave me the skills I am proud to possess today and many wonderful memories of delicious smells and tastes of the many meals and holidays she created for our family.
5.	The Gift of Creativeness – My Mother was a creative resourceful person. She knew how to handle the phrase “Mom, I’m bored”, by consulting her binder of clippings for craft ideas and other activities to keep us busy. She helped my sisters master sewing and me to learn needlecraft arts. She gave us an interesting childhood & fostered the ability of each of us to develop our talents.
(continued in Part 3)

In the days since my Mother passed away, I have been trying to fill the hours with as many positive memories of her that I could think of. It occurred to me that throughout her life, she gave me and my siblings many gifts – not the kind that come in a box wrapped in pretty paper & tied up with a bow (though she gave us those as well), but the kind of gifts that leave a lasting impression upon our lives. Here are just a few that stand out:
1.	The Gift of Reading – My Mother encouraged us to read. It fostered my strong love of books – the feel and smell of them and the places they can take us, the interesting stories told and the knowledge they impart. I especially remember two things about reading – 1) Mom taking us to the library regularly, especially the summer I turned 12 when I would read the several books I had checked out before the week was out and 2) the secret reading under the covers before going to sleep many nights. I just could not put some books down. My Mother knew I did this and would sometimes pass the bedroom & call out “Put the book away, turn off the flashlight and go to sleep. Tomorrow is another day.”
2.	The Gift of Comfort – While we were small, whenever we were sick, my Mother would hold us and rock us. There was tomato soup & grilled cheese to comfort & nurish and hot lemonade with a shot of Irish whiskey when we had a cold to knock the germs for a loop and help us sleep. As an adult going through a hard time in my life, she was always there to listen. She was always read to give and receive a good hug.
(continued in 2nd post)

Here’s photos from our visit in June 1994....
Nice smiles!
Debbie, John, Jessie, and Nikki

We have happy memories of visits with Aunt Agnes, and especially the earlier times in Florida when Jessie and then again when Nikki were very young.  Like my mom, Aunt Agnes knew the secret to getting children to love her...smile and listen to them, but don’t go overboard with the “pinching of the cheeks” or overwhelm them with affection too soon.  Sure enough, she had our girls clamoring for her attention ...Jessie, who typically hid behind OUR legs, called her “Aunt Ag-uh-nes” and chattered away happily to her.  But I’m wasn’t surprised...Aunt Agnes  was always warm, generous, and sweet, with just the right amount of twinkle in her kind eyes, so of course everyone loved her! 
We are deeply saddened that the world had lost such a gentle, sweet, determined, independent (go Irish!), and compassionate lady, but mostly we are sad because WE already miss her.  

We found a couple of photos to share too, so hopefully they’ll post ok.  One is of all the Jones’ siblings, with their spouses behind them, at Uncle David’s.  It’s a Polaroid, so quality isn’t that great, but we still wanted to share.
Hugs and kisses with all our love,
Debbie, John, Jessie, and Nikki


OBITUARY

Agnes Elizabeth Turgeon

September 26, 1934 – September 2, 2020

Woodlawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park

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