SUNDAY, , MAY 12, 2024 - MOTHER'S DAY

MOTHER’S DAY

SUNDAY, MAY 12

Helen White - mother to my sister Beth and myself

Ah, yes, it is Mother’s Day today.

. 

As I thought of Mother’s Day, I picked out the following song.  To me, Lawrence Welk would have one of his tenors sing it on their program just prior to Mother’s Day.

"M-O-T-H-E-R" is a song written in 1915 by Howard Johnson and Theodore Morse that is considered a tribute to mothers. The song's lyrics spell out the word "mother" using the following definitions for each letter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp7zxZMFcqU 

• M: The million things she gave me

• O: She's growing old

• T: The tears shed to save me

• H: Her heart of purest gold

• E: Her eyes, with lovelight shining

• R: Right, and right she'll always be

SHORT MOTHER STORIES

My 6-year-old son, Nicholas, sat in the grocery cart as I perused the canned vegetables. “How about this one, Mommy?” he asked, handing me a can of asparagus. “I love asparagus!” I told him. “Asparagus is my favorite vegetable, but it’s just too expensive.” I put the can back on the shelf. Three months later, I opened a crudely wrapped present from under the Christmas tree. It was a can of asparagus. Nicholas beamed in delight as he explained how he had saved his pennies to buy me the best Christmas gift I’d ever received.

**

Thirty-five years ago, when my mom was 22, she became a widow and a mother within the same month. The life she had imagined was stolen in a heartbeat. She tried to move on, but she was lost. She gave me to my father’s family to be raised in the United States. Some call her weak; others call her selfish. I could be mad or bitter. Instead, I’m grateful for the life I have and to have a mother who sacrificed our relationship to give me a chance at a better life. She is courageous. She is my mother. 

“Goodbye,” she sang cheerily, skipping off to her new dorm after giving me a light peck on the cheek as though we were no more than acquaintances. A young woman. A college freshman. No longer my baby. Her casual parting stung me. Had she outgrown me? As I walked away, I was arrested by a child’s voice shouting, “Mommy!” (A word I hadn’t heard in years.) Before I could turn around, she was in my arms, her face buried in my neck. She didn’t need to say anything. I knew then that she’d always be my little girl. 

HERE IS ANOTHER SHORT STORY ABOUT A MOTHER'S LOVE:

The old woman sat in the rocking chair, her eyes closed and her hands folded in her lap. She was thinking about her children. She had five of them, all grown up and living their own lives, and she missed them terribly.

She remembered when they were little, how she would spend hours playing with them, reading to them, and tucking them into bed at night. She remembered how they would laugh and play together, and how she would always be there to catch them when they fell.

She remembered the time when her youngest son, Timmy, got sick. He had a high fever and was delirious. She stayed up all night with him, holding his hand and singing to him. She was so scared that she was going to lose him. But Timmy pulled through, and she was so grateful.

She remembered the time when her oldest daughter, Sarah, got her heart broken. She came home crying and the old woman held her in her arms and told her that everything was going to be okay. Sarah eventually met a wonderful man and got married, and the old woman was so happy for her.

There were many other memories.  She smiled as if the event was today, not 40 or 50 years ago.

The old woman smiled as she thought about her children. She was so proud of them all. They were all kind, caring, and successful people. She knew that they were all good people because she had raised them that way.

She went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. She sat down at the kitchen table and thought about her children again. She loved them so much. She was so grateful to be their mother.

She hardly felt the massive bursting of her aorta and the heart attack.

**

That night a quiet ripple went through the hearts of many.  They were all grateful to have been her children, her family,and her friends.  “Rest in Peace, Mom”

LOVE WINS

LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND, LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS, NOR SELF-IMPORTANT

Karen Anne White, (c) May 12, 2024

“

*****

**

“Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” —William Makepeace Thackeray

*****

“Goodbye,” she sang cheerily, skipping off to her new dorm after giving me a light peck on the cheek as though we were no more than acquaintances. A young woman. A college freshman. No longer my baby. Her casual parting stung me. Had she outgrown me? As I walked away, I was arrested by a child’s voice shouting, “Mommy!” (A word I hadn’t heard in years.) Before I could turn around, she was in my arms, her face buried in my neck. She didn’t need to say anything. I knew then that she’d always be my little girl. 

Motherhood is the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It’s huge and scary – it’s an act of infinite optimism.” —Gilda Radner

“My mother is a walking miracle.” —Leonardo DiCaprio

*****

HERE IS ANOTHER SHORT STORY ABOUT A MOTHER'S LOVE:

The old woman sat in the rocking chair, her eyes closed and her hands folded in her lap. She was thinking about her children. She had five of them, all grown up and living their own lives, and she missed them terribly.

She remembered when they were little, how she would spend hours playing with them, reading to them, and tucking them into bed at night. She remembered how they would laugh and play together, and how she would always be there to catch them when they fell.

She remembered the time when her youngest son, Timmy, got sick. He had a high fever and was delirious. She stayed up all night with him, holding his hand and singing to him. She was so scared that she was going to lose him. But Timmy pulled through, and she was so grateful.

She remembered the time when her oldest daughter, Sarah, got her heart broken. She came home crying and the old woman held her in her arms and told her that everything was going to be okay. Sarah eventually met a wonderful man and got married, and the old woman was so happy for her.

There were many other memories.  She smiled as if the event was today, not 40 or 50 years ago.

The old woman smiled as she thought about her children. She was so proud of them all. They were all kind, caring, and successful people. She knew that they were all good people because she had raised them that way.

She went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. She sat down at the kitchen table and thought about her children again. She loved them so much. She was so grateful to be their mother.

**

That night a quiet ripple went through the hearts of many.  They were all grateful to have been her children, her family,and her friends.  “Rest in Peace, Mom”

*****

Have a great weekend.  For Georgetown people, I’m playing at Walburg on Saturday night, May 25.  Next Saturday (May 18), I expect to see you at Georgetown High School for our concert (free - 7:30 p.m.)

LOVE WINS
Karen White, May 8 2024