Wisest Woman to Ever
the liberated 1950s mother of David L Lewis
The coming of Spring always reminds me of what our mother would say: “Fall comes suddenly one day with the north wind and announces “Here I Am!”. Springs lies to you.” Like most of what she said, this always proves true.
We always called her ‘mother’. Even daddy did -- mostly because he wanted us to call her what she wanted to be called. Mother was born September 15 1915 and died December 27 2005. A lot happened in those ninety years. Don’t talk about much about how she nurtured me, which is my failure and our children’s loss.
She lived in “a world which never was and never will be again”. Born just in time to experience the Great Depression first-hand, met my father at fifteen and never really loved another, she had unwavering faith which she patiently and prayfully imparted to her three children.
Mother was a ‘Stay At Home Mom’ long before it was a thing. In the 1950s that is what mothers did, hands-on rearing of their children. Active in both the Mother’s Club and Parent-Teacher Organization, was president of both at one time or another. Result being she knew exactly what was going on in our grade school, what was needed, and how to get things done. Each year she’d have our teachers and the principal, Mr. Wolff, to our house for a semi-formal lunch. I usually walked home for lunch, she had it ready. Only time she ‘worked’ was Christmas shopping season to make extra Christmas money.
Summers were devoted to us kids. Each in turn had her attention in whatever was important to that child. First thing was the school picnic at Chain-of-Rocks amusement park sponsored by the Mother’s Club. Followed by summer full of swimming and whatever was the child’s interest of the minute.
Come Fall she had something called Boys Bible Club for the pre-teen boys at church. We learned Scripture, friendship, and softball. The elders let her have our club at the church, nobody else wanted the job. She also was Sunday School teacher of this age boys for some years. Seems nobody else wanted that job, either. I still think in King James Bible vernacular.
She once told me that before the War she’d worked for a while in a cigarette factory. They gave workers a certain number of them on regular basis. When she started looking forward to cig hand-out day she knew it was getting to be a problem and quit forever. She knew how to handle the matter when it came to us kids. Terry, who had weak heart, was told about health problems smoking brought; Diane was convinced they made a girl look un-ladylike; and with me she emphasized the costs. She knew us.
Even daddy wouldn’t eat liver, mother got us to love braunschweiger -- with lots of mustard. Eating fresh vegetables like olives and celery was a special treat. And snacks were to be earned.
Daddy was always to be respected, appreciated, and worth listening to. Mother never let us forget our father always had absolute responsibility. They always put up a united front. If my parents ever disagreed about anything I am to this day unaware of it.
After the last child began high school she began that part of her life of adventure and accomplishment of which books are written. This being a task I leave to Pi (i.e. aunt Diane).
In her final years she was in a nursing home, reportedly asking for David. [Obviously she loved me the best! So there, Pi.] I suspect, though, the David she was looking for had long since grown up and somehow gotten much older. I may have been, once again, at the top of her mind because I’d given her the most ‘difficulties’. My big brother Terry told me to just remember her as she was, that he’d take care of everything. Then he went and died first. As it often is with women, ‘Everything’ fell on our sister, who proved appropriately prepared by mother.
Day before her funeral Matthew and I had some reason to go to Target. On a whim I threw into the basket a CD of Elvis Presley gospel songs. Some time later I realized one of the songs on that CD included the last thing I remember my mother ever saying to me: “If we never meet again this side of Heaven, I’ll meet you on that beautiful shore.”
For many years I have referred to mother as ‘the wisest woman to ever walk the earth’. Admittedly this is somewhat hyperbolic. If would be more correct to say we serve a God wise enough to give me the mother I needed. Without her, and the second woman in my life, my sister Diane, I never would have made it until the third woman in my life, Kay, took over the task of coping with me. Have a blessed Mother’s Day wise women to now walk the earth.
For more Stories of Ruth see my prior blogs:
My Mother Said, published May 10 2020 at
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7931195089641925137/654404572974419738
No comments:
Post a Comment