Mothers 5-16-21
Mother
Daren Flynn
5-6-21
"Mom, the kids at school said I look funny," I said as I ran into the house. Mom turned to me with a look of empathy and held her arms out. tHen holding meant looking into my eyes said, "You do look funny, Daren."
That didn't do my self esteeming good. My Mom agreed with the kids who teased me and said I was funny looking. Tears began to well up in my eyes. Mom continued to hold me and as she studied my face her gaze changed from empathy to a look of intent curiosity.
After examining me for what seem to me a long time, Mom said, "Daren, you have no eyelashes. That's why you look different."
I don't know, to this day, why my eyelashes fell out. I'm sure Mom took me to the doctor to fund out why, but I can't remember. They eventually did grow back and I was no longer "funny looking". at least, no more than normal.
ALTHOUGH mom didn't think I was funny looking, she did care about how I looked. I remember a time when I was to take part in a school program some sort and Mom thought I needed a haircut so I would look my best on stage. Dad had always cut my hair but had not gotten around to it before the big day of my stage debut. So Mom took me to the barber shop for a trim.
When Dad got home from work, he took one look at the result of our trip to the barber and got out his clippers and proceeded to repair the damage. It seems Mom wasn't the only one who cared about how I looked.
Mom cared not only about how I looked, but about all aspects of my life and the lives of my brothers as well. She was always supportive and helpful and was always doing something for someone. She was hard working and determined. She was afflicted with MS and never complained but carried on with her life of service. Mom was a devout Christian and a woman of faith. She possessed many Christ like attributes well worth emulating. Not the least of which was her undeviating love. I think my Mother came as close as is humanly possible to demonstrate Charity, the Pure Love of Christ.
Mothers
Myrna Flynn
Mothers come is all sizes.
They can be full of surprises,
Some are large, some are small,
Some are short, some are tall
Some are very slim,
Some not so trim,
They are there for us,
When we make a fuss.
We make them sad,
And we make them glad.
The second Sunday of May,
Is set aside as their special day.
My mother wanted a daughter that he could teach all of her skills to, instead she got me, a tomboy. Not too surprising since my role models were 3 brothers. But she was rewarded with granddaughters who are following in her footsteps.
Now some incidents and memories of my mother, I am not sure they will be chronological:
1. When we really come to appreciate our mother is when we become parents ourselves. That for me, was when I felt guilty and remembered how selfish and thoughtless I was. I probably should have had corporal punishment delivered to me most every day.
One day, my mother told me I could not go and do what I wanted to because she had some errands to run. She needed someone there to run the switchboard. (For those of you who might not know, we ran and lived in the phone office in Springdale, WA.) Even though I was only 10 or 11, it was my responsibility. But, I wanted to go get ice-skates that a friend had outgrown and said I could have. I thought that I could go get them and be back before mom got back and she would never know. Well, as you have guessed, she returned first. I literally was paddled, she broke a ping pong paddle on my behind.
2. My mom worked at the mental hospital in Orofino, ID. One winter night after her shift, she slipped on ice, fell and broke her back.
3. My dad and you dad (grampa Sam and Daren) hunted for old bottles and we were camping at the Gold Creek area where they were searching around. It was time to think about fixing a meal. Mom and I found a slab of iron that fit on the rocks of a fire pit. We were happy with our ingenuity. It made a perfect stovetop.
4. Huckleberry picking was a tradition in our family. My dad, my brother Ed, and mom were picking berries near Troy, MT. Mom was standing on the edge of the road. She stumbled and fell down the hillside and broke her back again. All I remember is that they took her to the hospital in Troy, not sure how long she was kept there. I am sure those two back breakings are why she lost 3 inches in height.
5. We took her to Lava Hot Springs. She surprised us by wanting to join us in the hot tub. I do not remember if she got in the hot spring, maybe Colleen does. I do remember that she that she got up really early and came into our room, woke us up and we were not happy. Another guilt trip, because we hurt her feelings and made her feel unwelcome.
6. She and your grandmother, Grace, took a train trip to visit family in Salt Lake. Mom could ride for free because my dad worked for the railroad for several years. I do not remember how long their visit was. If I remember right, Colleen was able to record life stories.
My friend, Pearl Foust, reminded me that my mom was fun to be around, she was always willing to join in with games. With that I end my reminiscences.
My Mom
Aaron Leavitt
A Mother’s Day
—Cary Holmquist.
My mother’s birthday is May 6th, which was often only a few days away from the celebrations we have for Mother’s Day, which has been set up traditionally as the second Sunday in May. So, when I was a youngster, my Mom’s birthday observations were often blended with Mother’s Day and that led to my early confusion about just when mothers had birthdays. To me, it was as if all mothers had the same birthday and, like Christmas, that birthday was a designated holiday on the calendar.
Anyway, due to this particular calendar coincidence, the gift giving for Mom’s birthday and Mother’s Day was continually blended—my father’s version of getting two birds with one stone. And his idea of gift giving for my mother often involved a kitchen or cleaning gadget of some kind. Around the time I became a teenager, I realized that a new ironing board or new electric mixer was not a gift at all, even if it might make a housewife’s chores easier in some way.
I don’t know if my Dad ever realized this—or maybe he could have asked my Mom and that was the sort of “practical” preferences she might have hinted about and actually preferred—I never heard her complain. As kids we just bounced around during any gift giving, excited about anything new and so we kids were oblivious to any reaction Mom might have had. It could have been one of those mysterious incidents that later became a family tradition of “that’s just the way it has always been done.”
Although, come to think about it, there was that year, when it was a sudden fad in the late Sixties, when my Dad presented Mom with a wig for her birthday gift, complete with a styrofoam head stand and styling combs and t-pins for holding the wig to the stand.... We were all so excited that the wig hair perfectly matched Mom’s own hair color—because for some mysterious reason that made it all the more chic.
However, going to Church gave me much more perspective on all this and Junior Sunday School practices for Sacrament Meeting performances of children for their mothers eventually clued me in. Singing in my family was not something that we normally did either spontaneously or practiced. And certainly not kids singing all together, except for chanting Happy Birthday. But “Mother Dear, I Love You So” is certainly not the same as Happy Birthday. So all that practicing and posturing each week in Sunday School before the second Sunday of May, was a good deal different from a serenading a cake with lighted candles after dinner, I finally realized.
But, the closeness of my mother’s birthday and Mother’s Day often overshadowed having much of a personal celebration for my Mom’s birthday. That was just how it went while I was growing up and ever after. Kids who have December birthdays can relate...right? Just seems like part of human nature that carried over to my mother’s birthday.
And also from Church, I learned that Mother’s Day was a way to look back and appreciate at least some of the wonderful things mothers do for their children. Of course, this recognition should go on fervently every day of the year, but we really get focused on Mother’s Day, when we collectively bear testimony of our mothers’ sacrifices and contributions for us and express our honor to them.
Mothers
Carrie Keiser
What does one say about the person who gave you life and made sure you reached adulthood without too many scarring events? The one who is always there for you, who never gives up on you no matter how old you are or what you have done?
I have thought about this a lot. This woman birthed eight children and raised us all to adulthood. She was always there, taking care of us, working to help out however she could playing both mom and dad while dad was away driving truck making money. She taught me hard work, love for reading because she is always reading, to stay active, she is always up for a walk or a hike. I think my mom teaches best by example. She is not overly emotional or huggy I must have learned to keep my tears in check from my mom, I think I’ve only seen her cry once maybe twice. I try not to be too emotional. I find crying to be annoying and I hate when my eyes leak. While I’m not a huggy person, I can tell when a hug is the right thing to do.
You know where mom stands on things, she’s not afraid to let you know or stand her ground. I am sure that I get that from her.
I wonder as I type these few words, what my kids would write about their mother. Have I created lasting memories that are imprinted on their minds? Are they good, fun memories or just lessons that I have attempted to teach? What is the legacy I leave behind?
Here are a few moments that stand out to me with my mom.
1. Well, there was the one time she let my friends and I have a snowball fight in the living room, while she read a book and pretended to not hear us.
2. Another time, she and I were driving Brandon’s yellow RX-7 and as Brandon closed the door, he said something along these lines: “Now don’t drive it crazy.” Mom got a mischievous look on her face and then just floored it lying a good strip of rubber! Brandon was hot! Chasing after us and hollering.
3. Mom has always said if you’re going to pull out in front of someone, ya better mean it and do it quickly, none of this lolly-gaging. You pull out and you step on that gas! Ask my kids, I’ve learned this lesson well! ;)
4. She was always the best at hide-and-seek. She would hide so well and be so quiet that we’d give up on finding her. That was probably the plan.
5. Mom always had my back too. I remember getting kicked out of English class and being sent to Mr Strothman’s. He took one look at me and having dealt with Brandon in the past, said, “It won’t do me any good to call your mom, she will back you up!”
6. Mom loves to play games: word games, card games, dice games, and ball games.
7. Mom drove with me from Ephrata, WA to Indian Springs, NV in the spring of 1997. We took the straightest route too (hahah)! We went to the Reno area and visited Martin and his family then over to Provo, to drop off Ryanne for her mission and then on to Indian Springs. It was a long trip with two small children we had to get creative, I think we both memorized all the Dr Seuss books and “read” them while driving and we played hours of invisible baseball with Cody.
Well, you all know her! She is mom to a lot of you and grandma or great grandma to several more of you. What do I say, she is cute and funny and goofy and a fixer! She drives me crazy sometimes and, I drive her crazy sometimes. This is the way. But in all honesty she is also one of my best friends on the planet.
One of the memories of her being her, was when I didn’t make the cut, literally. I had tried out for the Nine Mile House softball team because that year there weren’t enough girls signed up to form two teams. Not to toot my own horn, ok maybe to toot my horn, I was pretty good and I really expected to make the team...and my friends thought I would as well. I mean I had been playing this games since I was big enough to pick up a bat! It didn’t turn out quite like that. You see the coach was the parent of a friend of mine and he he really didn’t like her associating with a “Mormon” and had determined that because of my religion there just wasn’t space on “his” team.
I was HEART BROKEN. At this point in my young life, softball was my world. I had dreams of making the Olympic team LONG before there was an Olympic team! I had no idea what I would do with my life if I couldn’t play.
MOM to the RESCUE! She told me if I could round up enough people to play, she would manage a team and get Brandon and Tracy to coach it. I went about recruiting players. The others that had been cut, my friend Sammi was one of those, readily joined the crusade. With that success I convinced my friend Marla to play and my friend Rachael. Then I set about working on Carrie and her friends. Finally, and I cannot remember how I managed it, we had enough for a team. And sure to her word, Mum managed that team and Brandon and Tracy had their hands full teaching some of those girls the basics. I didn’t care, I had a team to play on and my mum had made it happen! We lost every game, but everyone had a blast!
My mum the fixer had stepped in and mended that broken girls heart. That wasn’t the first time, nor the last, but it is definitely a memory that will stick with me for ever!
And, just so ya all know, in the end, I tried out for, and made the all star team, yup a girl from a no win team made a team that was filled with the best of the league!
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