32. REMEMBERING MOTHER

When Mother’s Day comes around, it brings sweet thoughts to my mind about my own dear mother. She was a virtuous woman, such as King Solomon describes  in Proverbs 31.

Solomon begins his dissertation on virtuous women in verse 10. He says, “She does her husband good.” When my parents married, they rented a small ranch where they raised cattle. Daddy always saddled two horses so Mom could ride with him to check the cattle. She also worked right by his side in doing the chores—milking the cows, taking care of the calves and the chickens. As children were added, they took her place with chores, but she continued to be a good helpmate on the farm throughout their lives together.

Instead of “planting a vineyard” as Solomon says, Mom planted a garden every spring and fall. I well remember eating the new potatoes and fresh green beans from the prosperous garden behind the house. Then she “worked willingly with her hands,” to preserve as much of the garden produce as she could, so we could get jars of vegetables and fruits from the cellar for winter meals.

Never would my mother have been found “eating the bread of idleness.” She “rose while it was yet night” to begin her work. Five o’clock in the morning would find her in the kitchen mixing homemade bread and cinnamon rolls, preparing produce for canning or putting water on to heat to do the washing.

The woman in Proverbs “clothed her family with scarlet.” Mom clothed my two sisters and me, plus herself, with outfits she sewed on her treadle sewing machine. We would pick out a dress in the Sears or Montgomery Ward catalogs and Mom would put patterns together to make an almost exact likeness. She did her utmost to make sure her children were clothed in a manner that they would not come behind at any occasion.  

In her mouth was the “law of kindness.” Mom could lose her temper and speak harshly, but most problems were dealt with in kindness. I will never forget my brother being brought home by friends on a late Saturday night. After he had gone upstairs to bed, Mom came to the foot of the stairs, “Son, where is the pickup?” He responded in a voice of utmost meekness, “I wrecked it, Mom.”

The next morning he confessed. “When I made a U-turn at the end of Main Street. I forgot to look and an oncoming car hit the pickup on the left fender.” Not a word of rebuke was spoken, which probably made him feel all the worse. The pickup was repaired and my brother continued to drive it to town every Saturday night.

Many times I saw my mother “reach forth her hands to the needy.” She made clothing for the children living in a home that burned to the ground. Often we stopped to take food to a very poor single man who lived on the road to town. My parents had no extra money, but on a trip away from home, they stopped to give $20 to a stranded family. Neither of them ever passed by someone in need.

“A woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” My mother had full trust in God and planted strong seeds of faith in the hearts of her children. We faithfully attended church every week. I also remember a radio preacher to whom she listened daily, Dr. E. F. Weber. As I joined my mother in hearing his sermons, my own faith became stronger.

Mother has been gone many years, but today sweet memories of her life “let her own works praise her in the gates.”

As we remember our mothers, let us take Proverbs 31 to heart so that our lives will advance our heritage as we exemplify virtuous women! 

RICE BANANA PUDDING
3 T tapioca
2 c coconut milk
2 sliced bananas
1 c pineapple tidbits
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1 c cooked brown rice
Let tapioca stand in milk for 5 minutes, then cook
over medium heat, stirring constantly until boiling.
Remove from heat and cool. Stir in the fruit, rice
and nuts. Chill and serve.