MY MOM of the Year

Sunday is Mother's Day. Because I never had children of my very, very own I have never had an appreciation for this day except to honor my very own Mother. Of course, I, like the majority of children think my mom is the world's greatest mom. And she was, of course.

I am the third of her five children but I am the oldest to survive. She lost her first baby at some point about two-thirds through her pregnancy. I had a brother born prematurely next. He was named, George William, and lived less than four hours. About one year and eight months later I was born. I guess all of that activity was enough to make my parents very tired because I was an only child for six years before my brother was born. My sister came along five years and ten months after my brother's birth.

Now back to what made my Mom the greatest. For the majority of her years our Mom was a stay-at-home mom. We all enjoyed coming home, smelling dinner being prepared and having her always there to greet us and being glad that we were home. Today that is more difficult for moms but it is a pleasant memory as a part of our lives. Our Mom loved to cook, loved to sew, and loved her home. Even to the day she died she was always interested in up-to-date styles in clothing, furniture, and accessories.

My Mom was never one of those parents who could not wait for their children to go back to school after the summer break. She always looked forward to having us at home.

She pushed us to do our very best but never set expectations above our ability to fulfill. She provided for each of us the opportunity to take private piano lessons if we wanted. We also had the opportunity to participate in high school band if we wanted. Some of us did better than others.

Our Mom was also the community beautician. On most Fridays and Saturdays she had a full compliment of ladies coming and going to get their hair "set." Up they would come, get the waves and curls placed just so. In a few hours, back they would come for their comb-out. It was a regular parade but they all looked very good for church on Sunday!


Our Mother could be caught on fall days making fried apple pies or a big pot of apple butter. Some days she had made loaves of home made bread or a big batch of those cupcakes she called yum-yums. She loved to cook during holidays and made such a variety of scrumptious breads at Christmas time. We had lived in a community of Hungarian / Slovakian immigrants for some years and the ladies taught my Mom to make their kind of bread. Mom also made huge pots of cabbage rolls sometimes and chili at other times. She taught us to eat greens whether we liked them or not. Unfortunately, she never got me to like eggs or milk. Finally our family doctor told her to just leave me alone and hopefully one day I would come back to those foods. I never did -- I will eat them if you make me but never ask for them or eat them voluntarily.

Our Mom had rheumatic fever when she was in first grade. She told us that she was having trouble with her legs and walking. One day as she and the other children in her family and community walked home from school her legs just wouldn't work. The other kids ran ahead and brought her father back. He carried her home. That was her last day of first grade. When she recovered she had to learn to walk again.
Her life was not easy. Her father was killed in an accident at his work when she was eight and my grandmother was expecting her fifth baby. Years after that were very tough for all of them and Mom often had to help with the children while her mother worked to earn a living.

So I nominate my Mom for Mom of the Year. Lola Craft Lemon -- Mom of the Year in my world.