She's ONE of a kind!

In honor of Mother's Day, I dedicate my blog to my mom today...

Toni Ryan is truly indescribable--but, hey, let me take a stab at doing so anyway...

My mom is the eldest of 8 children in her family.  She was born in '29, the year of the stock market crash--is there possibly a link?!  Ha ha.

Mom's full name is Antoinette Mary Wasley Ryan.  She's Irish, German, and Swedish--and very independent!!

I have learned almost everything I know from her, no kidding!  Toni is very tough, yet she's also compassionate and will go to great lengths to help anyone.  She has the softest spot in her heart for anyone who is the 'underdog'. 

When she was of school age, she spent every summer with her grandparents on their farm on Buhl Farm Drive.  She looked forward to that time away from home because she got some attention and freedom to run and play. 

She has reminisced often to me about the grape vineyards on the farm, playing with her cousin Helen, and having to use an outhouse.

Mom read every single book in the school library by the time she was in the upper grade school levels, so the teacher gave her permission to use the high school and public library.  She read books like she breathed oxygen.  At Christmas, she didn't like receiving dolls.  She only wanted books.  If Santa brought her dolls, she let her younger sisters play with them and  swapped them for their books.  She read whatever she could get her hands on.

Mom grew up in the depression.  Her parents lost all their money when the market crashed, and Grandma had to sell her platinum one carat diamond engagement ring to survive.  Grandpa had paid $1,000 for it back in the twenties, so you can imagine what that would be worth today!  I don't know how much she got out of it when she sold it.

Because of that, my grandparents were super cautious about spending money.  They saved every penny and bought their first car with cash.  Mom never had much as far as clothing went.  Grandma always bought  bargains, meaning sometimes the clothes were 2 sizes too big, or Mom wore summer shoes all year to school because they were cheap at the end of the season.

She never had a whole candy bar until she was in 5th grade.  The only reason she got one then is because her teacher bought one for each of her pupils. 

Throughout my life, my mom remained frugal, probably because of the impact of her growing up years.

My mom has a terrible temper, and is very outspoken.  She isn't one to mince words!  Even when she was a child, she would say what was on her mind!  I remember plenty of occasions where she embarrassed me with that feisty temper.  For example, kids were throwing snowballs at our car once, and she screeched to a halt, rolled the windows down and began to loudly chastise the kids.  I shrank down in the back seat.  Hahaha. 

When mom graduated from high school, she found employment at the Westinghouse in Sharon.  She was adamantly against office work because she found it to be dull.  It also paid much less than shop work, so she applied to work in the shop and was eventually moved there.  Mom tried different things throughout the next few years.  She spent a week in Canada on retreat at a Russian baroness' place.  She didn't particularly like it there, so she came back to PA. 

After that, her aunt (Sr. Annella) convinced her to come to Erie and see if she had a religious vocation.  Her spiritual director, Fr. Carter, did not believe she did, but she gave it a shot.  She went to the Benedictine monastery where she quickly realized this was not the life for her.  She lasted six months.

Finally, she decided that she would go to college, become a writer, and move to the west coast to pursue her writing.  She aspired to have a house on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

She enrolled at Youngstown State University, and for the next seven years, worked hard to earn her bachelor's degree.  She majored in Comprehensive Social Studies (she took 60 hours in that one area!) and English. 

She worked 40 hours a week to pay her own way through school.  She was the first person in her family to earn a college degree.  She had very high marks during her schooling.  Many of her professors thought she should pursue medicine because she took classes in cellular biology and other things that weren't related to her field.  She had some of the highest grades, even over her peers who were going into that area!  College was a smorgasboard of educational opportunities, and she went wild with a taste of anything that looked good to her!  I really admire her courage and enthusiasm for learning.

During the time she was nearing graduation, she was introduced to John, my dad.  Her sister Eileen, had married my daddy's next door neighbor and childhood friend, Bill.  Eileen explaned to mom that John was also attending YSU, and maybe they could carpool.  The rest is history! 

Fr. McGovern, the priest how married both couples told them that the Wasley girls were cleaning up on Ellsworth Street!!

Mom taught school in Northeast, Pennyslvania (yes, that's the town's name, it is on the outskirts of Erie), as well as in Sharon at St. Joseph's School and the public schools as a substitute.

When Mom had two children (me and Shaun), she was still teaching, but she quit to stay home when Jim came along.  Mom used all her teaching skills to educate us in so many ways.  She also had a certificate in art that she earned, and she taught me so much about drawing and painting. 

Toni has shown me so many examples of charity in her life.  When I was a child, there was this lady named Katherine who was severly crippled and was seen regularly, walking State Street.  Her legs were twisted, her back was curved and hunched, she was very thin, and I don't know how she managed to walk.  Anytime mom saw Katherine walking, she'd pull over and give her a ride.  Usually Katherine was on her way to Mass at either St. Joseph's (on the east hill), or Sacred Heart (on the west hill).  Anyone familiar with Sharon knows this is quite a walk!  The hills are steep, too.  A person in good health would find it a task to walk from one side of town to the other.

She would pick up strangers who were walking in the rain, and give them a lift.  If she happened upon an accident, there was never any hestitation.  She'd stop and do anything to help.  She has never been one to 'count the cost'.  She is very, very self giving.  Moreso than anyone I have ever met.

Mom's favorite things to do are to read, travel, laugh, write, watch a good movie, eat sweets.  She passed on ther love of all these things to me, her only daughter.  My mom is never without a book.  As a young mother, she always had a book on the back of the chair or couch, lying facedown to keep the page marked.  When she ate any meal, she always had a book on the table.  She'd take a bite every so often as her eyes remained glued to her book.  If it was a paperback, she'd set a butter knife across it to keep it from closing.  LOL.

She and dad are very adventurous and they took us on many long vacations.  (That was the nicest part of my dad's job as a teacher.)  Two times, we spent about 6 weeks of our summer traveling cross country by car, seeing all the sights we could between the east and west coasts.  They instilled in my a love of travelling and an appreciation for the beauty of my country and the world. 

They always took us to Presque Isle (in Erie), which to this day remains my favorite place on earth.  We also made frequent trips to Pittsburgh.  We saw zoos, museums, beaches, etc. 

They took us to Niagara falls, the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, the Battleship Houston, NASA, Mojave desert, Las Vegas, Hollywood, and numerous other destinations.

Toni was a great mom!  She didn't get married until she was 31, which, in 1960, was considered to be rather old for marriage.  She didn't really have plans to marry, but when she met my dad, that changed her mind!

Mom has always had a deep devotion to God.  She took me and my brothers to confession on a monthly basis.  Every night my family gathered in the dining room after dinner to pray the rosary.  We never missed Mass--EVER.  She went to great lengths to take us to church to make our First Fridays and First Saturdays.  I remember Dad would have our only car on Friday nights (he used to work the football and basketball games), so Mom would trek with us across town by foot to attend Mass.  Often the weather was horrendous.  I remember walking through a torrential rain to Sacred Heart Church, which was miles from home.  She would often treat us to ice cream sodas after Mass at Isaly's by our home.

The First Fridays and First Saturdays devotions are beautiful in that there are many promises attached to anyone who goes to mass on the first 9 Fridays of the month (or 5 1st Saturdays) and receives Communion.  She didn't want us to miss out on that treasure.

My mom never liked domestic stuff.  She did not enjoy cooking, yet she always made a healthy meal for dinner.  She laughed at her cooking mistakes, which there were many, but I have very fond memories of that stuff.

Once, she burned a pot holder that got too close to the stove top burner, and a friend of ours came to visit.  When he walked in the door, he said, 'MMMM MMM.  What is that delicious aroma?'  We all burst out laughing--"Mom burned a pot holder!".

I am having a dinner here tomorrow for Mom (and dad).  I always love and enjoy spending time with her.  She is truly the best mom God could have given me.  I think back to all the times she comforted me, took care of me, praised me, etc.  She has always been my biggest fan.  And I am hers.

Mom, I love you sooooooo much!!!

HUGSxxxAnnie