Mother's Day!!!!

My mother faced a rough life being basically a single mother with little if any positive help from my Father. She provided a good home life for the five of us kids. We always had all our basic needs met. That included knowing we where cared for. It was not until I became older that I really understood the tough job she took on without complaint so that all of us kids could have as good of a life as she could provide.

My Mother is finally able to just enjoy being a Grand and Great Grand Mother to a whole bunch of kids.

So here is my THANKS for a GREAT Mother!!!!!!

PS She will be 83 in July. Still lives in her own home. Rarely alone as the kids always like staying with Grand Ma LOL

JD, that is truly a blessing that you can state what you did about her and its great you have her to enjoy today. I remember as a kid, things were not that great, and admiring others with a decent home life, family and some kind of stability in the home, my situation was lacking terribly thinking back, and that's a long story not worth boring people with LOL!

However, all is not lost, as much as the past was not so good, it taught me one valuable thing, what NOT to do, mistakes NOT to make, and the value of family. Like you, it sunk in later in life. My mother was put through an unbelievable amount of nonsense, former students of hers, one of whom I had as a basketball coach on saturday morning hoop at school, still says she's the toughest woman he's ever known. She recovered and earned a stable retirement, after 39 years in the school system. She had to start from scratch in her mid 40's, it took a lot from her, to this day, I can see it, it was not so good for me either. Somehow it worked out, as it was dragging me down in big way.

At the time I write this, she's sitting down enjoying meal I prepared. Fillet mignon from the best butcher shop in this area, home made potato salad, broccolini with pepper jack cheese, an Omaha steak co pork chop, and my specialty, red potatos, white onions and seasoning. I know I did well when she's overwhelmed with what I prepared, my way of saying thanks every year, her birthday and every so often as a surprise.

I am fortunate to have an extended family, not blood relatives, but I have 3 brothers, 2 married, one with 2 great kids that are embarking on their lives, one to graduate in June. I've been part of that for 30 years, we all get along well and have lots of gatherings, good times and bad. All started in or around high school when things were not so good. My good friend and roommate in college, we cut wood together, hunt together and have done so for many many years. I instructed and coached his son on whitetail deer hunting. He took his first deer out of my stand while his dad and I were present under adverse conditions (scaffold platform in a huge poplar tree). His dad was a calvary scout, Ft Riley Kansas.

We make the best of what we have and though life may not bring precisely what you want, if you have family, you are truly blessed. Happy Mothers Day to all !

I'm at that age when most of the WWII Greatest Generation like my aunts and veteran uncles have passed, moms 91 and in Nursing Home/Hospital, we just returned from a visit and I though a good time to share this video. Warning, have Kleenex handy.

Bed by the Window

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuVgNYNUa9E

Ol John T
The Bed by the Window

That is a very nice tribute JD. My mother passed away 44 years ago so she never had the chance to see me get married nor did she have the chance to enjoy grandchildren.

When i was six months old and my mother was 27 years old she got polio and spent six months in the hospital. After extensive and exhaustive physical therapy she came home with the right side of her body weak. She could walk by locking her right knee but she needed to have a wall or something solid to touch to keep her balance and she needed a crutch for stability when she walked outside.She went on to raise my sis and me like any other house wife. She vacuumed, did laundry with a wringer washer, put the laundry basket n the wheelchair and pushed the wheelchair put to the clothes line. There was no dish washer in those days and she did all her cooking the old fashioned way with no fancy cake mixes. I kneaded a lot of dough and hung up a lot of clothes and churned a lot of butter but after i was older and she had passed away from cancer and i had started a family of my own i began to realize how much i did NOT do for her that i could have done.

So any of you who still has your mother, make a special effort to tell her thank you. You cant make up for it after she is gone.

John T- Kleenex heck, I had to use a towel.

Thanks

JD-your Mom sounds alot like my mine.My Mom had 8 kids- me the oldest and life was hard doing every thing for us herself.My dad enjoyed his beer more than his wife and kids.I lost my Mom 2 years ago and I think of her often.The cross she bared was great but she never complained.Her joy was seeing her kids become a productive part of society,which we all did.She was our rock who we all cried and laughed with.Today I ask God to show my Mom a little extra care and tell her how much we miss her.Happy Mothers Day to my angel.