It's Mother's Day. I freely admit that this is not one of my favorite days, for it reminds me of my weaknesses, my shortcomings, my disappointments in myself. So I'm not going to write more of my own mothering.
Instead, I'll tell you about my mother. Mom grew up hardscrabble poor in Eastern Tennessee during the Great Depression. Work and more work defined her days, as a child, then as a young woman, then as a married woman putting her husband through law school.
Despite the poverty of her upbringing, Mom was generous with others, especially with her daughters and our families. When Larry and I were first married, Mom, with my dad, supported us while Larry finished school. Without their generosity (for we had no other family support), I wondered if we would have survived, especially when our first baby arrived ten months after our marriage. (An aside: my pregnancy caused more than one person to count backwards!) Once again, Mom and Dad came to our rescue, paying for the doctor and hospital bills.
Joy for today: remembering my mother.
Mother's Day can be a difficult day. Thanks for sharing stories about Grandma. She was a neat lady.
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