Taking comfort in my family blessings and graces today. I am blessed to be wife and mother.
Blessed Are You Among Women
May 12, 2013 by napkinwriter | Edit
“Hail Mary, full of Grace
The Lord is with you.
Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus”
Happy Mother’s Day to my beautiful family of women
who express in the world the highest esteem, respect and
faith in motherhood.
You set the foundation of our country
and give our future hope, otherwise unrealized.
I will call you by name:
Grandmothers: Katherine Heffron, with whom I shared little girl stories and private sharings of what grandma was like in the “prairie days.” Grandma Tanberg with whom I shared blood heritage, giggles and hugs. Grandma Thompson, only a short stint of summer farm days. (But a secret alcove upstairs in the farmhouse, where I spent many hours alone going through scraps of fabrics and antiques of great-grandma and grandma’s possessions nobody else cared about).
Three beautiful mothers: Doris Tanberg Heffron, who gave me birth and told her best friend, motherhood was the purpose of her life, which ended here on earth a few days after my birth. She was also mother to my older brother Dave, whom she told my father in the Catholic orphanage that: “this was the baby for us; nobody else would love him like I can.” So Dave got a sister a short year and one-half after he became first sibling in our family; me.
Marion Heffron – the mother I knew and loved from age 2, who created a home for us, being dad, Dave, younger brother John and me. Mom’s creativity was homemaking par excellence and a soft, caring heart for others. She was in love with her grandchildren and puffed with pride at our daughters’ accomplishments, enjoying many of them before she died of Alzheimers. She loved it when Great-grandson Andrew pushed her wheel chair fast for her trips around the nursing home. She laughed and laughed and probably remembered herself doing what others said she did: “She drove fast!“
Frances Helminski Hajec – I fell in love with my ” newest mom” the first day I met her when Tom brought his “intended” home to his family. Mom was a gift of Mary to all her future daughters-in-law, who wanted nothing more than each of her sons to be loved and cared for by a good woman. And she DID get her wish 100%.
Daughters: Laura Sue Hajec Mitchell, wife of Carl Mitchell and mother of Amy; Kathleen Marie Hajec Warriner, wife of Gregory Warriner and mother of Devon and Andrew. Two daughters who grace the world with their gifts and talents of giving and focus on motherhood. They and their children make this world better by their being here.
Happy Mothers Day to sisters in-law Joan Heffron, wife of John and Linda Brown Heffron, wife of David who have been with us for many family celebrations and added to our lives with their creativity and generosity and presence.
Sisters in-law: (Stan’s) Lucy Hajec, mother of Nick, Chris and Katie. We shared many summer vacations with them in Delaware with the young cousins romping about at the shore.
(Joe’s) Susan Hajec, mother and grandmother focused entirely on faith, family and health. (and swimming!)
(Dave’s) Donna Hajec – Gentle, quiet presence with direction. A guardian angel of a mother to her children.
(Mike’s) Shirley Hajec – Center stage for laughter, fueled by a passion for living in the moment with what life gives you. A heart of deep compassion, and …… quietness is not her thing!
(Dave’s) Mary Hajec Russell – Mary, the “apple of her five brothers’ eye”, the baby of the family grew in grace, as the prayer says. Mother to three wonderful boys, grown to fine men. The thing I remember Mary saying the most was “my boys”. That defined her life and now she enjoys those boys and their families, Jeff, Dan, and Tim.
My nieces and nephews from these families offer evidence that family comes first. As they share snippets of their family joys on Facebook, their aged aunt can enjoy the life-affirming values of love and family along with them. Each one, in their own way, live daily lives of creative energies going out across the land. Just as important is that love is taking root deep within their private lives, thus contributing to a growing goodness within our society.
And that makes for a very happy and joyous Mother’s Day.
Becky’s and Ean’s children.
Donna and Dave’s son Brian and grandson Logan.
Happy Mother’s Day Brittany, mother to Nora. (lucky Charlie’s beloved wife).
Go Green! Nathan and Kyle, sons of Jeni and Dan Gould. God bless you all.
Mean Machine, son of Kelly Hajec Hanson.
Cookie creator, and mom sports enthusiast, Katie Gould, wife of Jeff.
and dad Jeff, Kalamazoo Marathon runner, cheered on by his children.
Gives new meaning to Go Daddy!
Happy Mother’s Day, Melissa, mother of Mark Hajec’s children, whose life center is “her boys”….ALL three of them! Mark not shown here.
Happy Mothers Day to Nan, wife of Mike Hajec, and their family.
Jill Hajec Radunzel, sharing with other mothers, and exemplifying a way of life for those waiting the return of their husband in military service to our country.
And Commander Joel, soon returns to heart and home!
Grand niece, Jessica has added to the ever-present excitement in her family with the birth of her son. You can only slightly tell that young grandparents, Nick and Nancy Hajec, are slightly ga-ga over the little guy!
and also celebrating their son Nick’s college graduation from Old Dominion and the start of a new teaching career. Another good teacher added from the ranks of Hajec heritage.
Borrowing from Mary’s wonderful photography to
add these family pictures.
OH HAPPY DAY.
Thanks for the thrill, honor, treat and blessing to be a mother.
Napkinwriter 