Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day


This is a day around the world when we give tribute to our mothers. Meet my mother, a school teacher and educator. This picture is from an old yearbook.

She graduated from college in 1932, the height of the Depression. Jobs were hard to come by and many people hardly got by at all, existing on handouts and soup kitchens to keep their families fed. My mother did not exist on handouts or eat in a soup kitchen, but she did live in a boarding house with roommates, most of them other teachers, who would become her lifelong best friends. She taught high school English and was in charge of the school library when she was barely older than her students.

At the beginning of WWII she married my dad and three years later gave birth to me while my father was in the South Pacific, deep in the heat of battle serving his country. My dad didn’t see me until I was eighteen months old and I had one of the worst cases of chicken pox our doctor had ever seen. I often think how hard it must have been on my mother and father to be apart and I have great sympathy and appreciation for all of our military families today.

After my sister and I started to school, she “retired” from teaching and was a stay at home mother and did not return to the classroom until we were in college. She taught seventh grade English until her retirement and ruled the Junior High School as the Head Teacher with high standards and a good heart. Her students loved and respected her because she treated each one fairly, but at the same expected that they do their homework and learn proper English grammer. I can assure you that every student that passed seventh grade English under my mother speaks with good grammar today and knows the difference between an adjective and an adverb.

Happy Mother’s Day everyone.

38 comments:

  1. Interesting reading. Where is the South Pacific did your father serve?

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  2. A beautiful tribute to your mom!! She raised a daughter who speaks from her heart.

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  3. What a classy and lovely mother you have! I really enjoyed the tribute (and definitely missing my own mother today!)

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  4. How cool is your mom, Sam! Happy Mother's Day to you too. Hope you'll have lots of fun.
    Best wishes,
    Kristy

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  5. What a beautiful tribute to your mother, Sam. It must have been so difficult for our mothers to have tiny children when their spouses were away at war. My dad was in the navy when I was a baby and my mother lived with my grandparents. They all helped each other and made the best of it.

    I hope you have a very happy day.

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  6. Beautiful tribute to your Mom. Happy Mother's Day!!

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  7. Lovely post :) Thanks so much for sharing a bit of you Mother (and Father) with us! Happy Mum's Day!

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  8. I'm super emotional right now and this post made me cry. A wonderul tribute to your mom...she was strong woman...

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  9. What a lovely tribute to your mother, Sam. She would be pleased with your memories of her. She sounds like a classy lady. Have a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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  10. Aww your mother looks elegant. She reminds me of my grandmother - they really look a lot alike. Hope you have a great day. I am new to your blog and following.

    Sonya

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  11. I have nothing but admiration for educators and mothers. Your mom is a classy woman. Happy Mother's Day to her.

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  12. What a wonderful tribute to your mother, Sam. My parents met by chance in NYC two weeks before my daddy was shipped overseas. They corresponded for the two years he was gone and married two weeks after he returned... Although the six girls they had surely drove them batty, they are still in love and married all these years later (love and friendship confirmed by mom today when I called her).

    Bises,
    Genie

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  13. I loved reading that post. What a wonderful women!

    Happy Mother's Day!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  14. Ahhh..great pic too..
    Lovehow you described her..When my mom was in her 50's she went back to work also as a speedwriting teacher at Sylvia Gill College..When she passed away at 56..We received beautiful cards from some of her students..
    Great teachers..leave great impressions..Great mothers.. leave a lifelong legacy of love:)

    We were lucky weren't we?

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  15. I enjoyed reading about your mother, Sam! She must have been a devoted educator, a person that I know that I would admire and respect immensely! Happy Mother's Day to you too, Sam!

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  16. This is a lovely tribute to you mother, Sam. She sounds like a wonderful Mother and teacher.
    I hope you are also having a wonderful Mother's Day today!

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  17. I love that picture of your mother! It says as much to me as the words you chose to go with it. Happy Mother's Day! -Gary

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  18. sweet post I bet she was a wonderful mum hugs to you Sam

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  19. Lovely post about your mother.

    Happy Mother's Day.

    Mely

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  20. This is a wonderful tribute to your mom Sam. It is easy to see where your love of books and writing were inherited:D

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  21. What a lovely tribute!

    Hope you enjoyed the day.

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  22. What a lovely tribute!

    Hope you enjoyed the day.

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  23. What a lovely tribute to your mother. Hope your weekend was wonderful.

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  24. Wonderful post, Sam! A fine photo of your mother too!

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  25. Wonderful to learn about your mother, what a terrific tribute to her!

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  26. Thank you for sharing your mom with us! She sounds like a wonderful woman, wife, mother, teacher and friend!

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  27. What a geat tribute to your mom! Loved seeing the photo!

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  28. Hey Sam,
    I really enjoyed reading about your Mom and the history of your family. Very unusual for a woman in the '30's to get an education.

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  29. What a touching blog for your mother! Beautiful and elegant lady and mom. Thank you for sharing.
    Rita

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  30. Beautiful post, Sam! What a lovely tribute to your mom. She sounds wonderful.
    My mom was actually a gym teacher back in the twenties. It always shocks us, because she was unlike any gym teacher I ever knew! Your mom LOOKS like an educator! Wish we had more like her around now.
    Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

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  31. Your mother comes from a tough generation of people no doubt. I couldn't even imagine having a baby and raising a child with my husband so far away.

    Hope you had a great weekend!

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  32. Just a loving tribute Sam - honoring your mother in this way. My uncle was in the South Pacific and didn't see his first son until he also was about 18 months old. They are truly "the greatest generation."

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  33. What a wonderful and heartfelt tribute to your mother! WWII was such a trying time for families. I'm sure your father thought you were beautiful even with the chicken pox :)

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  34. A wonderful tribute to your Mom Sam, is absolutely nice! gloria

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  35. You look like your Mom, Sam. That was a wonderful tribute and you inherited more than just a phyical resemblance. Thank you for sharing.

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  36. Sam,
    What a precious story about your mother. I enjoyed this very much.

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  37. Lovely tribute! Clearly she passed to you the writing gift and so much more :)

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  38. A fine tribute. She undoubtedly influenced many lives.

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