Mother's Day

May 2011 Blog

Mother's Day

Even though its come and gone for this year
I have to write something about my
wonderful mother. I wrote the following soon
after my mother passed away.


A Mother's Day Remembrance

My mother held my hand
as we walked to church
on Sunday mornings
She told me not to be afraid
when the dog along the way
began to bark
like a ferocious beast
In the summer
she came with me
to bible school
helping the class next door
build a model of the temple
She served cookies
at snack time
Mother was an assistant leader
for my Brownie troop
She was there to comfort me
when I didn't get nominated
for any of the officers
She was my greatest defender
whenever friends let me down
She would always go to bat
for me
She was home
when I came from school
for lunch
After school there were always
homemade snacks
waiting for me
and the smell of dinner
on the stove
My mother was often my nurse
The menu was just right
tea and toast
boiled egg or chicken noodle soup
We rode the city bus on Saturday
and toured the shops on main street
It was a special treat
to sit on a stool at the soda fountain
and get a hot dog and Coke
I was rewarded with a folder
of paper dolls
at the end of most shopping days
Christmas included much secrecy
as my mother sat up to
the wee hours of the night
cutting and sewing delicate
little costumes for the dolls
that I loved so much
I had found them hidden
deep in the desk drawer
and watched their progress
with mother safely busied
in the basement
Her hands in wash tubes
Monday mornings
We had a ringer washing machine
long into the years
of automatic washers
The crisp white sheets
and shirts hung out back
on the clothesline after most families
had automatic dryers
Mother canned tomatoes and beans
in the summer
Her homemade ice cream and cakes
were the best for every birthday
She prepared me to go off to college
by teaching me how to wash and iron
Ironing is becoming a lost art today
I remember the first conversation
that my mother had with me
acknowledging me as an adult
It was on a trip home from college
after her mother had died
We sat in my old bedroom
She talked about caring for Grandma
before she died and her death
My mother
who had taken care of me
all my life
was actually letting me see her
as a person
and allowing me to speak comforting words
to her
It was a right of passage
How well does anyone
ever get to know their mother as a person
The title keeps us blinded or blanketed
in the child realm
A clear understanding and a wide eyed revelation
of the treasure that was hidden
under mothers title
was revealed at her funeral
It seemed that half the town was there
Many stories were related of her kindness
as a friend
her encouragement to the hurting
and her wisdom to those
who wished to know God's word
My brothers and I wondered
how we could have lived with this woman
and taken freely from her hands
and not seen her heart more clearly
So as Heaven's balcony
allows the witnesses to watch
I say a heartfelt thank you
to Ruey Cosette Booth
I am blessed that you are my mother.