Mother - A Word That Means the World to Me

 A mom’s hug lasts long after she lets go. ~Author Unknown

When I was a little girl, I remember my Grandma, Mammy, had a pillow she had made. The pillow said -

M - is for the many things she gave me.
O - means only that she's growing old.
T - is for the tears she shed to save me.
H - is for her heart of purest gold.
E - is for her eyes with lovelight shining.
R - means right and right she'll always be.

Put them all together they spell Mother. A word that means the world to me.

I was thinking about my Mother. She's in Heaven now. She passed away over 18 years ago. No matter how long they've been gone, you still miss them.

You never appreciate your parents until you become a parent. You realize your parents did the best they knew how at that particular time in their life and that they loved you even when you thought they didn't and were being unfair.

 

My Mother, Stella Burris Knight - 1926



My mom, 1940's

My mom, 1940's

My Dad & Mom - John and Stella Knight
50th Wedding Anniversary 1993

 

My parents grew up with parents that were not very expressive of their love with a lot of "I love you" and hugs. And my mom was like that. But I knew she loved me and was proud of me.

When I started having kids, I decided I was going to hug them so much and tell them I love them that they would get tired of hearing it. And I did. They would wake up - "I love you."

They'd leave for school - "I love you." I probably told them "I love you"  over a dozen times a day. 

Even at times when I had reached the end of the rope with raising four boys and wanted to go hide and pretend I wasn't a mother any longer, I would settle down and say "I love you."

I'm so thankful that God gave me the privilege of being Scott, Neal, Aaron, and Mark's Mother. It has been my greatest happiness.

 

Thank you God for letting me be a Mother.

Confessions of a Once Silly Teenager

Saturday, November 16, 1963.

I was so very excited. I was sitting at the Mesker Amphitheatre in Evansville, Indiana watching Dick Clark and his Caravan of Stars. A dream of every teenager. The music was amazing and it was the most popular singers of the time, plus I got to see Dick Clark. American Bandstand was one of my favorite shows that I watched (in black and white) every day as soon as I got home from school.

I can still remember the excitement I felt that Saturday as the different stars were introduced - Lou Christie, Gene Pitney, Paul and Paula, Brian Hyland, Little Eva, the Shirelles, the Ronettes, just to mention a few.

I'm sure some of my readers have never heard of a some of these.

The next day Lou Christie and Gene Pitney were at the local radio station - WJPS 1330. I remember hearing the announcement on my transistor radio. They said if you call in you might get to talk to one of them over the phone. Well I had to try. I was so excited and  I waited and waited on the phone, but I never got to talk to them. But I was so nervous and excited, I broke out in a rash all over my body. Confessions of a once silly teenager.

It was almost a week later, Friday, November 22, 1963. I was sitting in my typing class (before computers and even electric typewriters) at Castle High School in Newburgh, Indiana when someone came around announcing to all the classes that our President, John F. Kennedy had just been assassinated. Our class sit there in silence and unbelief.

November in 1963 was a strange month for me. It went from crazy excitement over hearing  my favorite singers and just being a teenager to seeing our president assassinated. I remember watching as Jack Ruby broke through the crowds and shot Lee Harvey Oswald. It happened live on television. It was almost like the world had went crazy.

The next week was Thanksgiving week. I remember we had the whole week off of school. On Monday, everyone was glued to their television sets watching as they laid John F. Kennedy to rest.

As I said, it was a strange month in my life. It's something I'll probably always remember.

I think as a teenager you are so impressionable. You feel everything more deeply and your emotions are so easily affected.

I think the assassination changed the world that day. By the end of my high school years, I had classmates who were going off to war in Vietnam and the  simple songs of love and happy feelings that made you feel good about life became songs of war protest and anti-government.

Times were changing.

I'm so thankful for a God who never changes. Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.