Some people have a mother, some have a mom, some have a ma...and on so forth. My family is fortunate to have a Ham. The name came about nearly 13 years ago when her eldest granddaughter struggled to say "Gram" and it came out as "Ham." Needless to say, it stuck. Although she's not thrilled with the nickname, she is stuck with it indefinitely! Not only do family members refer to her as Ham, many of her grandchildren's friends know her as Ham or Hammy, my friends know her as Ham, and she is now introduced to new people as "Ham."
Every summer all eight of the grandchildren look forward to Cousin Camp at Ham's house! Cousin Camp consists of a week or two of the grandchildren gathering to bond and get into trouble at Ham's house and the adults bonding over several bottles of wine throughout the week. The out of state kiddos came equipped with airsoft rifles, swim trunks, and IPads. The local grandkids came equipped with four-wheelers and kayaks in hopes of sneaking away without any adult supervision down the river or on the trails in the woods. The three littles of the eight cousins spent hours playing with kittens, riding horses, swimming in the pool, and catching lightening (or lighting) bugs. All of the kids suffered mosquito bites and exhaustion...naps are not typically part of Cousin Camp!
As all of the kids play and bond with cousins that they see seldom, and the adults bond over wine and dog walking...Ham had the entire week planned. Zoo, Build a Bear for the littles, tent camping in the yard for the kids, Tiger's Game, Ladies Night Dinner Out, and hundreds of dollars worth of french toast sticks, soda, hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, and all of the other food that she cooked for the 8 kids and up to 10 adults daily...most days all three meals were prepared by our Ham! She did countless loads of laundry, countless loads of dishes, and had the patience of a Saint. She also kept two refrigerators stocked and made trips to the grocery store every other day!
While it's amazing to watch my children and the other grandchildren get a small taste of the childhood that my brother's and I experienced, it is always more amazing to think about the effort it takes to keep all of the kids (and adults) sane for a week together with one bathroom! She must be an Angel. Maybe she enjoys the organized chaos of Cousin Camp, maybe not, but we all love and appreciate it...and the kids will be able to share memories throughout their lives. My memories of childhood consist of Hammy chasing the barn cats off the porch with broom, watching her maintain a household while working a full time job, having a healthy dinner on the table and sitting together as a family every night, admiring the way she could fix anything from a vacuum cleaner to the toilet to the electric fence that kept Dad's cows. She mowed the lawn, trimmed, and nursed sick animals...it always seemed like she had more empathy for a sick animal than me when I was ill, but that's beside the point...I'm alive right? She coached my volleyball teams and never missed a softball game or track meet that I ran in. She earned the respect of the community in several different ways, but she's most commonly complimented on her amazing talent as a teacher. She taught in the same school district for countless years and taught hundreds of children to read...what an amazing gift to give someone. We were never friends when I was a kid. She had rules and I was too scared not to follow them, she didn't listen to me complain about school or coaches. She taught me to stand up for what I believed was right and not to be scared of confrontation if there was ever a need. She showed me how to be married to a man that "has a mind of his own." She always did and still does style her hair just to run to the grocery store, she dresses with class, and has beautiful blue eyes. She has a bowl of ice cream every night...usually chocolate with chocolate syrup or chocolate powder sprinkled on it. We are friends now, she's someone I look up to even though she's a few inches shorter than me. She's our Ham and we're so lucky to have her.
