Tribute to Mother

Tribute to Mother

Photo taken prior to August 1984:
Mother and her siblings:
Front Row Margaret, Pat, Violet [mom], Pete
Back Row Kenneth, & Wes.

My mother went to be with the Lord on September 14th, 2001 only 3 days post the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.  Earlier I wrote and Blog post entitled, "Valuable Lessons Learned From Dad". I said I'd be writing something about mother and here it is quite late.

My momma was nearly as perfect a mother as you can find.  She was totally dedicated to her Lord and totally dedicated to her children and family. 

When I was poisoned at two years old it was mother who prayed the prayer of faith and the Lord heard her prayers and saved me from certain death, giving me a miraculous, instantaneous recovery.

When I was scared of Santa Claus it was mother that took me to school, showed me the costume, so I would no longer be afraid.

Mother, even though she couldn’t swim, insisted on my learning how to swim, and took me for swimming lessons every summer.  After the fourth summer when I finally put my head under water, I progressed quickly.

Momma was a lady of many talents especially those that impressed kids.  She could make anything.   Mother made or helped us make such things as stilts, toy cars, tractors, kites, games, yo-yos, parachutes, sling shots.  Mother made puppets and many other teaching aids for her Sunday school class. Momma would show us pictures using her pictograph machine (now called opaque projector) and tell the story that went along with them.  Many of the pictures she drew and colored herself.

I loved to have my back tickled and momma would tickle my back.  I would then quickly relax and go to sleep.  Momma would tell me bed time stories and read books to me.

Momma would help me with my 4-H projects.  She was there to rejoice with me when I did well and to sympathize with and encourage me when I didn’t.  Momma had an imagination and would come up with some cool ideas.

When I would misplace my glasses, a book, or something, it was momma who would always say, “Let’s pray about it asking the Lord to help you find it.”  Quite often after the prayer momma or I would go directly to where the lost object was. 

Momma insisted I attend summer church camp, and I went every year for 13 years.  The first year, at 5 years old, I was really too young, but I’m thankful for the financial sacrifice my parents made for my spiritual life.

Momma was there when I wore braces for months to straighten my crooked feet.  She was by my bedside, when I lay in total darkness with bandages over both eyes and tubes over both arms, recovering from surgery to correct my crossed eyes.  She was there to bandage and kiss my sores, patch my trousers, play ball and catch with me. 

I knew I could bring friends home anytime, and momma would have something to eat and a place for them to sleep if necessary. I could also bring pets home anytime and I had some strange ones.

I knew momma would be waiting for me when I got home from school.  She always came to my school programs to hear me do my part, which most time was a very insignificant role.

Momma and I worked alongside each other in the cotton fields.  Momma even made me a cotton sack my size so I could pull cotton bolls too.  We always had a garden.  Momma would help me in the garden, then would take me to town so I could sell the excess produce, door to door.

There are many things I could say about momma but I’ll just sum it up with these final words.  She was my friend, introduced me to Jesus, and instilled in me a love for God, my church and missions.  You see I’m where I am today largely because of the influence of my Godly mother.

Mother on her on her hospital bed, with "milk-leg" (the name in the early '50 now called Thrombophlebitis or Deep Vein Thrombosis) after my delivery.  As she was near death she had a vision that changed her life and the life of her family.  If I got up between 4 - 5:30 am I could find my mother praying and reading the word.  

When dad would be cross about something, mother would never return an unkind or harsh word.  As a young child I so wanted to grow up with the spiritual zeal demonstrated by a godly woman, whom I called momma.