Journal of a Living Lady #80
This
isn’t Mother’s Day, but I believe everyday should be. Don’t ever underestimate
the influence of a Mama. I had one and I am one. I can be the
most easy-going person in the world unless you mess with my kid. Then I am Mrs.
Goliath. My mother was the same way. So was her mother.
Whoever
said, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world,” had some worldly
wisdom. The influence and love of a
mother is like none other.
There
is story in the Bible about King Solomon who became known as the wisest man in
the world. He was called upon to settle a dispute between two women, each
claiming to be the baby’s mother. In his wisdom, Solomon pronounced that he
would cut the baby in two parts, giving each a half. One woman immediately
relinquished her claim. Solomon then
knew who the real mother was, the one who was willing to give possession of her
baby to another so the child would live.
Though
my mother passed away a couple of years ago, there is seldom a day I don’t
think about her. I know this seems odd, but every time I enter a public
restroom stall, I remember Mama. She had this unsolicited, but frequently given
advice: “Never go into a restroom stall without tissue in your purse or pocket.
If you don’t have it, there won’t be
any toilet paper.” How right she was about that and many other things.
As
a young mother myself, Mama passed along many other truths. One was, “You never
know when you are making a life-long memory for your child.”
Sure
enough, Charlie and Bobby remember activities or conversations today that I
thought so insignificant at the time. “Mama-prints,” is how I think of them
now, indelibly etched in the heart of a child.
A
friend’s cousin had an ordinary mixed-breed dog. She was pregnant. The puppies
were due in about ten days.
Unfortunately, while running around having a good time in the yard, the
riding lawn mower rolled over her small body and both hind legs were completely
severed.
The
cousin rushed the mutt to the vet who gave her two choices. Sew the gal
dog up and allow her to deliver
the puppies or put her to sleep. It was
an agonizing decision, but the cousin decided she wanted to keep her dog alive.
The
veterinarian did a fine job sewing up the gaping holes where the hind legs
were. In a matter of days, the dog was walking. She didn’t moan and groan. She
didn’t have a pity party. She didn’t worry about whether she could be a good
mother. She just accepted her lot in life and adapted the best she could. She
would take two steps forward, pull up her backside, take two more steps, pull
up her backside again until she finally got where she wanted to go.
That
gal dog gave birth to six precious, perfectly healthy puppies. She cleaned them
up. She nursed them. She weaned them. And the puppies learned to walk. All of
them walked just like her.
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nancyk@alltel.net https://www.angelfire.com/bc/nancykelly
