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May 8, 2003 - "Mom's Legacy"
Welcome to 2TheHeart!
FREE Mother's Day ecards! www.2theheart.com/ecards
Welcome to "Mom Week" on 2TheHeart! This entire week of stories, poetry and quotes is dedicated to mothers everywhere! To join in our annual tradition of open "Letters to Mom", send in your letter to any of the moms in your life and we'll print it this Friday! Send your letter, subject line "Mom Letter" to editor@2theheart.com by Friday morning!
"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone
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"Mom's Legacy"
by Evegene Garrison in dedication to my mother
It is perhaps fitting, this being the day before Valentine's day, that I was directed to a small book first published in 1960, entitled "American Essays" by Dan Valentine. Although times have changed since then, many of the following excerpts taken from his essay on "What Is A Mother?" still hold true.
"A mother is two eyes filled with hope and pride...and just a hint of fear."
"She's America's hardest-working career girl, may be old, young or in between, and comes in assorted sizes and temperaments. She's the hope of the world with love in her heart."
"A mother is the most talented and useful of all living people. She can rock, change, coddle, coax, kiss and burp babies. She stands over hot stoves, pushes irons back and forth over small shirts and frilly petticoats."
"Mothers lend sons to America to fight its wars. They soothe hurt feelings, sing lullabies, bandage up playground wounds, and worry about the food budget."
"Mothers of sons pine for a daughter...and mothers of daughters hope for a son...and mothers with both feel luckiest of all."
"A mother is the original Jill of all trades...housekeeper, plumber, gardener, carpenter and chef. She's also nurse, pediatrician, hostess, seamstress, janitress, and sometimes a philosopher with a cake in the oven."
"She thinks a grubby dandelion given by the loving hands of a five-year-old is far more beautiful than a basket of orchids presented by a stranger."
"Part of each mother's day is spent in holding back tears--because mothers only cry at night. Mothers have the courage that brings gentleness to nations, roots to the family and warmth to the world."
"Some say she's God's greatest invention...she's a mother."
Our mother and grandmother was perhaps all of these things at various times and to various people during her 85 years. But she also leaves a legacy not mentioned in the writings of Dan Valentine.
A boat sinks from the water inside it, not the water outside of it. People are like that too, and while our Mom may have gotten a bit water-logged inside at times--as most of us do--she always managed to tread water until the crisis was over, and her boat never sank. As part of her legacy, she perhaps gave us a bit of training in how to tread water when life presents us with difficult circumstances.
Our mother was a very strong person filled with what I like to call "that old pioneer spirit". She didn't let things or situations get the best of her, but instead wrestled with them until she knew she was the victor. As we sometimes say today, "she kept on keepin' on."
Mom was a very determined person, very independent in her thinking and her actions--some might even say a bit hard-headed at times--as shown by a recent incident when brother Bill walked into the kitchen to find her standing on top of the kitchen cabinet looking for something.
I suspect, if the truth be known, all of us children and grandchildren inherited just a bit of that hard-headedness. I can't speak for anyone else, but I know I did, and I'm proud of it for it helped me to win a few tough battles over the years. Determination, and even being a bit hard-headed, often makes the difference between failure and success.
So if any of you grandchildren, or great grandchildren, admit to being a bit hard-headed, remember it is a part of Grandma Allie's legacy to you, and perhaps one day will make the difference between failure and success in your life.
Mom, in recent years, had a great love for dancing and attended many senior dances with friends. Since most of them had no spouses, they just danced with each other. She loved to pull out a pair of red shoes, or maybe a new outfit and share that she'd gotten these for the dances. Mom also loved sewing and quilting and was pleased to say right up to the end she could still thread a needle.
I remember the only time that I, as a youngster, got extremely upset with my Mom, and really "told her off"-- as best I knew how at that tender age. I made it very plain I was NOT going to follow in her footsteps. Having matured a bit in the last 50 years, I know I did indeed follow in her footsteps in many ways, and am delighted to say some of my best traits are a part of her legacy to me.
However, I believe the greatest legacy our Mom left to all of us was a very firm, unbreakable foundation of faith. No matter how difficult times or situations became, she never gave up that faith, knowing if you had nothing but that to hang on to, you would be rewarded with enough God-given strength to see you through the most difficult times. Proverbs 22:6 says: Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Our Mom did that. I'm sorry I cannot say I never departed from the way I should go, but in the end, I finally came back to it to stay. I too can say many times faith was the only thing that brought me through life's storms.
Mom knew what it takes some folks a lifetime to learn--and sadly, some never do--that no amount of money or possessions will see you through a storm. Only a firm foundation of faith in God can, and will, if you let it She knew that by putting Him first, everything else would fall into place.
Our Mom never quit trying and never gave up until she had no choice. But because of that all important foundation of faith, even in losing the last battle, she won the victory of everlasting life.
Evegene (Sonderegger) Garrison copyright 2002
In memory of Aloysia Sonderegger February 13, 2001
Evegene previously wrote "Remembering Sergio" for 2theheart. She lives in Independence, Missouri with her husband, Lenn and six-year-old Shih Tzu, Schatzi. Evegene writes a terrific newsletter "The Eagle's Echo"!
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AND THAT'S A WRAP! Graduation, wedding, birthday coming up? Personalized candy wrappers will make it an unforgettable event! Visit www.andthatsawrap.com to 'wrap up' the perfect idea for a cherished day!
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The Letter Box:
Oh Sooz, please tell Carolyn that her story gave me goosebumps. That was just wonderful! Love - Jenn
Dear 2theheart,
I just signed up last weekend for your email list and I love it! Your "Mom Week" is a great idea and has filled my week with pride and honor of being a mother! Thank you! God bless, Trisha
2theheart,
"Everlasting Love" was beautifully written proof that God cares and sends little miracles to us every day --- we just need to look for them! Love, Sheila Marks, IL
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