I Love You Mom

As Mother’s Day is only a few hours away now, my thoughts turn to my loving mother.  There were six of us kids, and that number has dwindled down to 3.  Mom and Dad were born June 1, 1908 and May 1, 1906.  Mom died first at 73 in 1981 from complications from a stroke.  Dad lived to be 85, dying in 1992 due to complications from a broken hip. 

They grew up in South Georgia working as sharecroppers and later in the 40s moved to Thomaston, Georgia when dad got a job in the textile industry.  It was there at the Old Mill where he worked for 14 ½  years. 

Mom was a stay at home mom doing the cooking, cleaning, and sewing some of our clothes.  Even though times were hard, mom always managed to cook good nutritious meals for her family.  She learned how to make do with less because of necessity.

She was especially endued with a sweet, soft spoken presence.  She very seldom got angry or at least one rarely witnessed it. She never got caught up in gossip, and I never heard her speak harshly of others.

I can remember a year before she died, I was teaching and on Fridays many times I would stop by her apartment for lunch.  She was always very glad to see me and I can still see her hurrying around that kitchen to put food on the table just the way I had seen her thousands of times as a child growing up. One of my favorite meals that she cooked then was salmon, French fries, and lettuce slaw. After we would share a meal together, many times I would lie down on her couch to relax before returning to work.  Many times I would discuss things that were bothering me.  In that low, soft, sweet, consoling, voice, she would always say the same thing.  “Son, just pray about it”.  That would become the best advice that I've ever received from anyone.

I remember on many Sundays after I was married with a family of my own, she would call and invite us for dinner.  She would say that she had cooked  a banana pudding.  When she  said that it would quickly get my attention.  For you see my mother cooked the best banana pudding in the world.

Thanksgiving and Christmas were always such happy times being with both mom and dad.  She always made chicken and dressing at Thanksgiving and no one could make dressing like her. At Christmas she made several cakes including raisin, coconut, chocolate and an egg white frosting cake.  My baby sister and I always got such a kick out of licking the boilers. 

Though mom never had much money, she loved Christmas and would actually start buying presents in July and by December she would have gifts for everyone including grandchildren and other  in-laws. 

I believe if there was ever a saint, it was my mother.  She treated son-in-laws like sons, and daughter-in-laws like daughters.  And she was well loved by all that knew her, particularly her grandchildren.

 No article or even a book could  adequately describe the love that my mother showed her family.

In this brief article, I have attempted to honor her by putting some of my thoughts down in written form.

Words can not describe the this godly woman that brought me into this world and had such a positive impact on my life. 

I thank God for you mom.   You and Dad did a great job of raising the 6 of us kids in very adverse times.   I know that you both many times did so with such sacrifice and through those actions showed us what real mothers and fathers should be like.

So  there is just one thing left to say on this Mother's Day as I end this article.  I love you mom with all my heart and soul.

And I know that I can speak for my two  remaining siblings.  I thank God for allowing us to have such a wonderful mother.