Mother’s Day Remembrance

     There have been many reminders lately of my parents, Jim and Maddie Turner. I thought of them all day on April 28,^th which would have been their sixty-ninth wedding anniversary. They were a marvelous couple who seemed to grow more in love with each passing year.

      Then on May 3^rd my sister Jan sent an email reminding us that dad passed away exactly eleven years ago, commenting that she missed him. It doesn’t seem possible that dad has been gone that long or that mom has been gone four years. We still miss them both so much. And now it’s Mother’s Day, which brings back twinges of sorrow along with memories of happy, loving times together.

      At the bottom of one of mom’s storage boxes, I recently found a coin the size of a half-dollar with “Daughter” imprinted on one side and on the other a little thought: “You are a special gift, blessing my life forever. I thank the Lord for such a priceless treasure.” That was exactly the way I felt about her, even though she was the mother and I the daughter. It meant a lot finding that coin after so many years.  

     After dad passed away, mom decided to move from their double-wide mobile home into a senior retirement residence across town. She said that it was like living in the hotel “Ritz.” The meals were “gourmet, with real menus”…and she could request root beer freezes or banana splits anytime she wanted them. Someone came to clean her room each week, although she tidied up ahead of time so that things would be neat for the cleaning lady! Mom’s only responsibility was doing her own laundry, a snap after caring for her large family for so many years.

     Transportation was a little less convenient after she gave up driving; but between family members, the van at the retirement home and other residents who offered to drive her places, she managed pretty well. Her calendar was always full, making it hard for us to fit into her busy schedule.

     When I had an accident which resulted in a broken hip and a new prosthesis in July, 2009, guess who wanted to come and help?

     “I’m coming,” announced my eighty plus-year old mother over the phone, even though Al and I assured her that we would be ok. Brother Jack and his wife brought her to see me in the hospital on the day of the surgery and then made the trip back to Bakersfield afterwards.

      A few days later mom arrived, suitcase in hand. “So, what can I do?” she wanted to know. “Put me to work!” Often though, she would stop puttering around the house to sit beside my bed and chat.

      “Would you like some cream on your feet?” she’d ask.

      “Would I like cream on my feet???” That sounded so good! “But, mom….”     

      “Oh, but I want to.” Not only would she rub my feet, but also my back. I lost track of the years, being transported back to being a kid again, enjoying my mom’s nurturing care.    

      Those three days with her were wonderful! Al and I were both touched by her sweet sacrificial gift of love, so typical of the way she loved all of her family through the years.  So yes, these special occasions do bring back memories, along with a few tears too.

       For those of you who are mothers, may “the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6: 24-26 NIV Happy Mother’s Day!

                                                                                                                                      (Published in the

Porterville Recorder May 10, 2014)