Theresia Helena Bouwman (Trees)
12 February 1928 ~ 12 June 1996
My mother was part of a large family and as the eldest daughter she had to help around the house. She started working at a very young age and most of her wages was contributed to the family.
She loved the company of her friends, going out and participating in all sorts of activities in one of the many clubs that she was a member of. She met my father at the folk dancing society. Once a year she would let her hair down during the Mardi Gras, this was for her a time to release all her stress.
Music was important to both my parents and they visited many concerts and opera's. My mother told me that only one day before I was born they visited "Orpheus in the Underworld", I am sure my love for music was born during that time.
We ourselves had a big family and my mother was always the person to organise events, outings and celebrations. I have happy memories of those times. I never knew her mother, my grandmother, she died of cancer at the age of 63, but my mother, as the eldest daughter in her family, had a close relationship with her and often spoke about how much she missed her friendship and support. During that time I could not know how she must have felt.
My mother was always busy, working, doing some kind of craft or folk dancing. She took every opportunity to help others with lots of enthusiasm, no one ever knocked on her door for nothing.
The restrictions during her illness gave her many inner struggles of anger, fear and sadness. She was a very strong and strong-willed person who intensely loved her freedom. She kept fighting, every day and never gave up because there was still so much she wanted out of life.... until she lost the battle against her breast cancer at the age of 68.
Although our relationship was not always a close one, there came a time that we recognised how much we were alike. My mother always said 'everything happens for a reason' and I have experienced during my life how true those words are. There are times that I talk to her, knowing that she will listen and I then tell her "I miss you mum". I know I could not have wished for a better mother and I will always remember how much she enjoyed life.
"I only have chance to survive in the dessert
when I keep believing in the oasis".