One of the best things about my mom, Marvel, was her sense of humor and her ability to laugh at herself. She loved to have fun. When our family was together, you could always find us laughing. We even coined the phrase “marvelisms” to call out times when we would say things that didn’t make sense or when we would use the wrong words or do something a little silly.

After my mom passed away, we put together a list of the Top 8 marvelisms. These in no way intend to make fun of her, they are truly ways we remember her love for us and the fun we had together. We children often catch ourselves committing “marvelisms” of our own, and our children do not hesitate to point them out! So, in memory of Marvel, I hope these “marvelisms” make you smile.

Top 8 Marvelisms

Security Guard

My dad owned a County Market and we were having a few security issues at night, so we hired a Security Guard. Mom made the comment to a friend, “Things were getting so bad, we had to hire a Social Security Guard.”

Mrs. Dash

When she was in the hospital, after being diagnosed with cancer, she asked for salt with her meal. The nurse told her she was on a no-salt diet, but she could send up Mrs. Dash. Her comment was, “I know her, didn’t she used to work at the store?”

Biopsy

My sister and I were at the hospital with mom and she was scheduled for a biopsy the next day. We overheard her on the phone with her twin sister and she told her she had to have an autopsy!

The Jacket

My sister and two of her friends were visiting mom on a Sunday afternoon. It was chilly in the basement, so mom borrowed one of the friends a jacket. They visited for about an hour or so and then Mom said, “You know, I have that same jacket.” After much laughter and realizing her mistake she added, “I was going to say I have the pants to match but didn’t want you to feel bad if you didn’t.”

King Sized Bed

My mom was taken by ambulance to the hospital one night, and two of my siblings and I went with. We planned to stay the night with her. We talked about where we were going to sleep, and my mom asked the nurse if she could get us a room with a king-sized bed.

Kitchen?

My sister and mom were talking one day about an article that came out in the paper the day before about parents accepting their gay children. Mom’s comment was, “I’m just glad they finally came out of the kitchen!”

Driver’s License

My mom loved to play pull tabs at one of the local bars. On Wednesdays, you could find her there with my sister. One day she was playing quite a bit and the tradition was to throw the pull tabs that weren’t winners on the floor by their feet. When you have a big winner, you have to show your Driver’s License for tax reasons. Mom had a big winner, but when she went to pull out her driver’s license, she didn’t have it, she had thrown it in the pile of pull tabs! They had to wade through the pile to find it!

Wedding Night

My sister and I were having a conversation with a friend one day about weddings and our friend asked my mom what she did on her wedding night because it wasn’t always the tradition to have a big reception. Mom turned to my sister and said, “I don’t remember, what did we do on my wedding night?” Mom and dad had been married for 2 years before my sister was born, so obviously she didn’t remember either!

There are probably many more, if you can think of any, please send them to me!

Marvel will always be alive in spirit because she provided us with such great memories. Laughter is medicine, so she will continue to take care of us forever!

Related Posts: 10 Lessons My Mom Taught Me and Why I Started Living Marvelously