Mom's Birthday

Today my mother would have been 89 years old.  It's been a bittersweet day remembering her and thinking about her and the impact she had on my life.

My earliest memories involve church.  She would get us up and dressed and ready and then take care of herself.  We'd get to church, sit on the pew and she would vigilantly watch us to make sure we were paying attention and not distracting those around us.  I remember my feet swinging.....swing, kick,thump, swing, kick, thump... on the pew in front of us and my mother's long arm that could reach over several children to THWACK! lightly crack me on the knee to remind me to be still.  I laugh when I think of it because within minutes, my legs were swinging again to the rhythm that played in my little head.

She took me to a quilting bee at church and rather than letting me run around, she had me pitch in and do something useful.  What might a little 6 year old do to help out at a quilting party?  Why, I threaded needles.  I stood at the corner of the table between several older ladies and threaded needle after needle.  I learned from her and them that no matter how small a job, it can make a big difference.  Now I'm the one needing help threading needles.

No matter how tired my mother was, she would read to us from a little devotion book called, Little Visits With God.  I loved those stories and looked forward to having her sit with us and read.  I always wanted more than the book had to offer...read another story, Mama!  Sometimes she would but more often she would save it for the next night.  From her lap, I learned to love God.

We didn't have much money but my mother could work magic from very little.  She could make the best biscuits and the best pot of pinto beans.  The door was always open and was never too tired to "stir around" and make something hot and tasty.  So many fun times were spent around our kitchen table or under the trees in the yard.  I learned that simple is best and good laughs and fun times make a meal special.

Once I came home from school, with friends, to find my mother sitting in her largest mixing bowl in front of the television.  Daytime television had something on about how a woman could reduce the size of her backside by wallowing around in a bowl.  My mother wasn't afraid to try anything and loved to have a good laugh over her adventures. I learned that adventures don't have to cost money and can sometimes be best right at home.

So many memories have flitted in and out of my mind today.  Mom was a remarkable woman, born in a home most would call a shack (she even called it a shack), sent by missionaries to private high school, self taught in so many things, passionate about life and her family and her flowers....and fishing.....Most importantly, though, Mom loved the Lord and served Him faithfully throughout her 87 years.  If I can be half that woman, I can be content.