My mother earned a teaching degree from the University of Georgia in the mid 1960's.  She taught for a few years and then had to stop to have me.  Back then you could not teach and be pregnant (GASP!!).

Her main profession was raising my brother and me and that kept her quite busy for many years.  However, she was a Consultant with Fay Swafford Originals (when multi-level marketing businesses were relatively new) and was VERY successful.  Her team had annual sales of $300,000.  Her success blows away anything I have been able to do with my side businesses.  I remember having tons of FSO bags and suitcases etc... as a kid.  Closest thing to what  FSO did is a company called Thirty One.  Anyway - I guess mom was really successful because she had never met a stranger.  Since the company was based in Tennessee, she had to go to Nashville Knoxville a lot for meetings.  Only "stranger" she met was Rod Stewart and one of his band members in the elevator.  they had some crude book they were looking at and she said that is the ONLY time in her life she remembers NOT being friendly and chatty.  She said she just tsked tsked at them and gave them her strong look of disapproval.  I am so sure that had them shaking in their boots and skin tight pants!!

 But I remember her loading up the station wagon with her samples and heading off to do shows and then coming home to do lots of paperwork to send off the orders.  No internet or email in the 1970's and early 1980's.  She would call us at home when she got to the house where the party was and then call us before she left.  Much more tedious than what I do.

Once we graduated from college and embarked upon our careers, she indulged her creative side.  She went to work at a framing shop and became a certified framer.  She and my Dad opened Art Gallery Framing in 1990 and the business did VERY well for 12 years.  then came 9/11 and things tanked.  But Mom still did custom framing on the side for folks.  Her work was stunning and creative and I still treasure the pieces she did for me.  She may bein heaven now. but her work decorates my home and surrounds me with love every day.

Her last job in life was to be a hostess at the Olive Garden.  She knew EVERYONE in Alabaster, including the policemen who called her Miss Anne.  They were there at her memorial and took care of her that awful day in a way that gave me such comfort.

Nowadays I assume she is in heaven with Saint Peter greeting the newcomers.  I can just imagine him saying.... "Greet 'em and seat 'em Anne."

I miss her every April 27 (her birthdya) and on Mother's Day.  but I know I will get to see her again someday.