My Mother once told me that becoming a mother would be the most important job I will ever have. At the time, I didn’t realize what she meant by this statement because I was too young, and carefree to take-on a thought of this magnitude.
I loved my mother very much. She was a good woman, so beautiful, and so wise. She lived to be 97 years old and never looked or acted a day over 65. She taught me everything about being a mother first and foremost, albeit I wouldn’t know it for years. When I look back on the sacrifices she made for us four girls, I feel she definitely deserves a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.
Mom did a great job as a mother, and she took her job seriously. She cooked good nutritious meals every night, and kept the house in perfect condition. She taught by example the value of a dollar and the payoff for a job well done. She sent us to school and to church neat and clean, and never gave up on us. She didn’t scold us if our report cards revealed a few C’s, “but you know you can do better if you try a little harder,” she’d say. Mom took care of her family consistently-like a good mother does-with patience, love, and understanding. One of her favorite sayings was: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
Mom was an avid reader, she devoured everything she could find about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, and basked in the juicy romance series’ of Danielle Steele; she could play a good round of golf, was a winner at the bowling alley, and was as funny as Phyllis Diller, only prettier.
Mom could be strict at times, and the spindly switch on-top of the refrigerator when I was a tyke, was a stark reminder of the tough love to come if we misbehaved badly enough to receive it. In other words, it seldom happened, especially with my grandmother living right next door. That switch would mysteriously disappear whenever grandma babysat.
My strong mother was the defining factor in our growth as women; we were always her “little women.” We all grew-up to be loving, caring and responsible people who blessed her with (14) grandchildren, as well great-grandchildren and even a few great-great grandchildren before she went to heaven on September 2, 2016. She was a very caring and generous grandmother as well. I miss her so much; we talked on the phone nearly every day as we both grew older.
I now have the cobalt blue glass salt and pepper shakers shaped like violins I gave her on Mother’s Day when I was in the fourth grade. I saved my money and bought them at a little candy and notions store on my way home from school. About 20 years ago my Mother returned these treasures to me. I was surprised she still had them. They will always hold a special place in my heart and remind me of my dearest Mother. I love you mom, Happy Heavenly Mother’s Day.
