A Mother's Love

I was fortunate to have my Mom to celebrate Mother's Day with for 59 years. Today is the 16th Mother's Day without her. Mom had been a mother for only five days on her first 'official' Mother's Day in 1940; Ronald was born on May 7th and Mother's Day was the 12th that year.

Not that I remember it, but my first Mother's Day with my Mommie was May 14, 1944. I was almost 6 months old, Mom was 25.

By the time I had ten years of Mother's Day with her, the family was complete after baby brother Leslie came along. Mother's Day was May 9th in 1954. Ronald had just turned 14 two days earlier. Betty was 8 and I was 10 - old enough to do something nice for Mom. Did I? I wonder what it was?

The years rolled along, I had children of my own. Mom's family grew and changed. She was alone after Dad died four years before this picture was taken. Mother's Day in 1982 was on the 9th again.

When I took this picture of Mom posing with the Heavenly Blue Morning Glories, I had been living back on the farm with her for almost eight years. Mother's Day was May 11 in 2003 - the last I would be privileged to celebrate with her.

A Mother's love is a blessing, no matter where you roam.
Keep her while she's living, you'll miss her when she's gone.
Love her as in childhood, when feeble old and gray,
for you'll never miss a Mother's love,
'til she's buried beneath the clay.