Marlene was always one for signature phrases – go-to stock responses she'd use without really thinking. These evolved over time, becoming part of her identity for a while before being replaced – like bookmarks on her chapters. Remembering some, I can hear her voice.
When I was young, "Oh my word!" was her classic comeback. A few years later, in response to blasphemy from her belligerent teenager (me), she would wail "Never mind the 'for God's sake!'" This came up so often my Dad got to saying it too, and we'd all laugh.
I've been working recently on a raglan sweater design – its shaping new to me, taking longer than I planned – and found myself anxious about upending my too-ambitious, self-imposed publishing goal. I had finished its knitting, but telling the tale of its making was proving unexpectedly difficult. It seemed that recounting the stitch sequence of every knitted row would be required for the clearest instructions, and I found myself now in the middle of that tedious task.
"A month of Sundays" popped into my head. "This is taking a month of Sundays!" I groaned. – yes, another phrase in Marlene's signature series. Familiar, and popular in its day, I don't think I've ever uttered these words before, but there they were. There she was. Mum sometimes makes appearances to me in this way if I'm paying attention, and happily, this time I was.
A Month of Sundays – my new sweater design has found its name!
Remaining open to guidance, there's one more of Marlene's phrases that bears mentioning, one I've thought of more than once during the traumas of our 2020. In her later years when life became sometimes difficult, "Don't let the turkeys get you down" became her mantra. It got her through.
I'm aiming now to make it mine too.
Stay safe everyone, wear a mask.