I tease my mom a lot by referring to her Amish ways. She has by all accounts lived a simple life... she simply does not believe in fluff. As kids we were introduced to the library, the baseball diamond, dirt, trees, forts, popsicles, mud pies, the theatre, quilting, and Cary Grant movies. We went on very few vacations. Saturdays were for cleaning house and catching up. She wasn't one to wander. Family was everything.
While I don't embrace all of her practices of motherhood, like my mom, I have learned that a band-aid, a kiss, prayers, and a butter knife can pretty much solve anything. There is a lot to be said for simplicity.
My mom also taught me to "be there" for my kiddos. No matter what time of day or night her ear was ready to listen and her arms ready to give a hug. She and dad never missed a ball game, concert, track meet, cross country race, or an awards night. We always knew that what we were involved in mattered to her because it mattered to us!
I often wondered how she survived. There was little money and a lot of mouths to feed. She did not wear the latest fashions and her shoes often had cardboard in them where the sole had worn through. She taught school all day since I was in the 4th grade and baked bread, made dinner, and did laundry all night. She never complained.
She gave up all the "extras" in life for the 7 of us kids. She loved the Lord quietly and by example. And while she was an amazing mother to me and my six siblings, she was also an amazing daughter, sister, and aunt. And she mothered her "ninth graders" at school too. A colleague of hers often referred to her as a "mother in Zion." I think that pretty much sums it up. She isn't a perfect mother... but then again we aren't perfect children.. but mom.. you come pretty darn close
I would like to wander with you mom in the lilacs, have you read me a book just one last time and let lots of laughter linger. Happy Mother's Day!
What are some of your best memories of your mom?
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