Mama was always there

Little known facts:

1.    As of January 1, 2004, the population of the United States increases by one person every 12 seconds. There is a birth every eight seconds, an immigrant is added every 25 seconds, and a death every 13 seconds.

2.    In the great fire of 1666, half of London was burnt down but only six people were injured.

3.    Toto was paid $125 per week while filming The Wizard of Oz.

And of course there was Mama.

There is, and always has been something special in a mother.  How can you not be close to her after sharing her body for 9 months, huh?  But I forget, not everyone was blessed as Sherry and I.  We had both of our parents for our entire growing years.  Neither of our parents passed away or divorced in our youth, so it is hard for us to put ourselves in the position of our grands and great grands who do not have the same parents, living together.

(I do not have any young pictures of mama, but here she is about 38. This was taken in the forties, I was about 3)
 

In my formative years my friend Guy suffered thru his parents divorcing. I personally only knew of one teen girl who became pregnant and gave birth without a husband.  She was one of the sweetest girls I knew, a good friend and a girl of natural beauty. She was sorta ‘forced’ to put the child up for adoption because of the ‘stigma’ attached in the 1950s.

So I truly enjoyed a wonderful mother. Understanding, long suffering, sweet and resorted to a switch only when she felt there was no choice.  She was a giving person, anyone knocking on our door hungry left satisfied or carrying food.  No one she knew went without shoes or needing clothes. She once gave some of Shirl’s clothes for Missions. When Shirl pointed it out, mama said, “But you can get more, some folk can’t."  That woman had been thru the Great Depression while raising three children. (The rest of us came later).  She knew what it was like to be hungry and needy, so she gave until she died.

She was attentive to others, BUT her children were never neglected.  I have known some folk who were too good for their own good. In other words while helping others they just assumed their kids knew they were loved. BUT that is never good enough. A child NEEDS mama’s attention, enough to know they are special to MOTHER!

Stella and Elsie have enjoyed the waterpark together these two weeks. Back then, Mama made her own water park. She held the garden hose and Shirl and I got to run thru it.  To us nothing could have been better on a hot day. Ever do that?

I knew kids who used the title MOTHER, some used the title MA but in our family she was Mama. Her name was Grace Missouri (Lloyd) Darnell, she was born in 1905-1981.  She has been gone a long time, and I still miss her.

Nite Shipslog

 Th 1951 Merc, one of the most customized 50's cars.