Mama

It's Mother's day in the States, and once again I am far from my mama and can only wish her a Happy Mother's day on the phone.  We have been in France over 36 years and in all those years I have gotten to spend 2 Mother's days with my precious mama.  So I thought today, I am going to tell you about her, in honor of the day!
Mama was born 20 September, 1928.  She was the youngest of 9 children.  Her mom was 43 when she was born, and was worn down by life's hardships.  But Mama was much loved by her family, and her older brothers nicknamed her Dink because she was just a little thing! 

She was a star athlete in High School, playing basketball for a team that went to the championships several times, but she was still a lady, in every sense of the word.  She kept her life straight and clean, waiting for her Prince Charming. 

When she first met my Dad, he was the preacher's son.  She didn't like him, but when he came back from military service he had matured, and she fell in love with him and they got married when she was 19.  My sister was born 11 months after they married, and my Dad was in University in Georgia studying to be a lawyer.  Due to a thyroid hyperactivity, Daddy nearly died so he had to drop out of school.  They moved to Miami and while Dad got a carpentry business going, Mom went to school to become a teacher.  They had many difficult things happen, but they were tough. 
Soon, along with everything else, Dad was leading the music and working with the teens at our church.  Before long, when I was 11, Dad surrendered his life to be a preacher, so we packed up and left everything familiar and headed off to Missouri for Dad to go to school. 

For a Florida girl, Missouri was a shock!  It was hot as everything in summer and colder than cold in winter.  I can remember watching Mama bravely face each day, getting up to go teach in the kindergarten she started in our church.  Dad worked 3 jobs and was going to school.  She didn't get to see him much, but she was tough!  She helped him through.  During the 3 years we were there, her Daddy died.  She was heartbroken, but she kept going.
Those are just the basic facts in her life, but Mama was unique to my sister and myself!  She didn't entertain us like psychiatrist tell mother's they should do nowadays.  She wasn't our buddy, our pal...she was our mother!  She worked a job that would have her home when we got home from school.  She kept an immaculate house, kept us well fed with 3 square meals a day.  She loved us unconditionally, but would whoop our backsides if we needed it.  She was the kind of mom I always wanted to be!
Two incidents come to my mind when I think of mama at her best and worst.  The first happened when we still lived in Miami.  It was Wednesday night, supper was over and we were getting the dishes done and would shortly be leaving for prayer meeting.  Mama was worn to a frazzle, and for some reason, my sister and I had the sillies that evening.  Some of our biggest fights happened while doing the dishes, but that evening, we were a mischievous duo.  Mama warned us and warned us to stop being jack donkeys and to get done.  We just kept giggling and being dumb.  Somehow, we ended up over by the table, laughing our heads off, and a big splash of cold water hit us both square in the face!  We gasped and started to laugh again when Mama hollered, "Now look what you made me do!  You made me lose my testimony!"  then tears ran down her face.  I had never seen my mama cry...and there she was, crying, and our silliness and selfishness had caused it!  We quietly finished the dishes, and she hugged us and apologized, telling us she loved us!  She should have whacked us a good one, but she felt bad because she lost her temper!

The second time, we were on our way back to Missouri from a trip to Miami.  We were extremely poor in those days, so my mom and dad took turns driving straight through.  It was, at minimum, a 26 hour trip.  The last stretch was through the twisty, turny mountains of northern Arkansas.  This particular time, the car was acting up, so Dad found an "open all night" gas station in Podunk Holler!  There we were, around 12:30 AM, broken down, tired and stuck in a car that was up on the grease rack.  Now, we have a family trait.  The more tired we get, the sillier we get.  We were very tired...Mama was exhausted, and thank the Lord, Daddy was below us, outside the car!  Lynn and I were singing "Bye, Bye Love" and trying to get Mama to sing the 3rd part (she usually did), and when she wouldn't we got sillier and sillier, again, laughing like hyenas!  Mom picked up a rolled newspaper and said, "If ya'll don't stop, I am gonna knock your kneecaps off!"  Well...you know how that ended!  We howled with laughter at the idea of Mama knocking our kneecaps off with her newspaper!  She turned around and was whacking us!  We were jumping around, still laughing like crazy, the car was bouncing around on the grease rack, and now Daddy knew we were misbehaving!  Deep doo!  We have laughed many times over that, but since becoming a parent, going through some stiff times, I look back and think just how brave my mom was! 

One other time, she faced the test and came out shining!  That was the day she said good-bye to her baby girl and her son-in-law and her 2 grandbabies and the grandbaby that would soon be born that she wouldn't get to see until he was 2.  We stood in the airport, surrounded by a huge crowd of people from our church.  They sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" and we really didn't know when that would be.  I saw my beautiful mother try to smile, but she couldn't.  She had given me back to God, to be used in His service, and she didn't take that gift back, but it was very hard for her.  36 years later, it is still hard, but she has always been there praying for us.  She is always there to welcome us when we are able to see her.  She will be 84 soon.  Our earthly time is running out, but I have the joy of knowing we will be together forever when this life is done!
Mama, I love you!  You are a treasure!  Have a wonderful Mother's day and know I am thinking of you, praying that I will have you for many more years!