She was up before the rest of us every morning and quietly prepared breakfast before waking us. “Time to rise and shine,” she’d say, opening the window shades. I’d quickly cover my head and groan as she continued to give us the weather report. “No rain today.” How could she sound so cheerful so early in the morning? “Looks like the sun is going to shine.”
Mama always seemed to be in a good mood as she went about her daily routine. I really don’t remember her ever complaining about the fact that she had nine kids, very little rest, money was always tight and food at times had to be stretched to the minimum. “The Lord will take care of us,” she always said. “He provides what we need when we need it.” And He always did.
Mama often helped in the fields, hoeing or picking cotton, depending on the seasons. She always had a garden and flower beds to tend to. For some time, she raised chickens and sold the eggs. With nine of us, she had plenty of help and today I would take nothing for the memories of long hours in the fields, feeding the chickens, gathering eggs, listening to her talk about her life growing up. My Grandpa Minefee was a Baptist preacher and Mama had lots of stories to share.
I remember the hum of her old Singer sewing machine as she often used flour sacks to make shirts, blouses and skirts. These came in many colorful designs and the scraps left over made perfrect quilt pieces. One of my favorite memories is sitting close by with my paper dolls while she sewed.
We always had a rocking chair and I remember Mama rocking my little brother to sleep. After she’d sang all the lullabies she knew, she would tell us the story of The Three Bears or Little Red Riding Hood….then she’d recite nursery rhymes. The first time she recited Little Boy Blue, I loved it. “Say it again,” I begged. She said it over and over till I could remember the words and say it myself….and Daddy told me to stop asking.
Mama taught all three of us girls how to sew, quilt and embroider. There was never much time for being bored. She taught us the childhood games she’d played and took us fishing. We caught frogs and she cooked their legs, a delicious treat back then.
After we moved to town, we had neighborhood kids to play with and they all gathered at our house. Mama seemed to enjoy it as much as we did and she always knew where we were and what we were doing. By then there were only four of us still at home as the older ones were married and starting their own families.
All my memories of Mama are especially precious today, but I think of her often and thank the Lord for allowing me to be her child. She didn’t have even a high school education, but she answered every question I ever asked. She was a whiz at math and could give the correct answer without even using a pencil and paper. How, I wondered, could anybody be that smart?
Mama always told us to “finish what you start” and “if a job is worth doing it is worth doing right.” Honesty and being kind to others were the most important traits to her and she always practiced what she preached. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I hope all of you have some fond memories of your mother or are able to visit with her. At least give her a call. So many Mom’s will not hear from their kids today, but my prayer is that they all know they are loved and appreciated. God bless all the mothers….and Happy Mother’s Day!
