I know it’s cold here today…I mean 12 degrees is officially cold! And I want you to know I’m thinking about you all this wintry morning, but this morning my heart runs to my mother, who turns 94 years old this morning. Mom was born in a cold farmhouse, heated by corn cobs and dried “cow pies”, near Leola, SD. She was number 11 of 12 children. And when I look back at her life, I marvel at how many “chains” she has broken in her life. She was the only child in her family to go to college, but she never forgot her roots. Yesterday I penned a birthday letter to her. I thought I’d share it with you today!
Dear Mom,
Happy Birthday, Momma! 94 years old! And still ticking! You are our family’s version of the ever-ready bunny! You just keep going and going and going! Amazing!
I thought for your birthday that I would share some of my early memories of you. I am so blessed to have such an amazing mother.
My earliest memory is one where I fell asleep on your lap in the VW bug. We were coming back from Grandma’s and usually Hope (my younger sister) got to sit on your lap, but Rachel wanted to hold her, so I got my chance! I leaned back into your arms and fell asleep. And I was kind of asleep when we pulled into White Lake. I remember everyone getting ready to get out of the car. And Dad asking you, “should we wake him up?” And you saying, “No. I’ll just carry him up to bed. And then you carried me up to bed and tucked me in. All the time I was pretending to be asleep. I felt so loved at that moment. You were so kind to me as you tucked me in. I’m fairly sure I had a smile on my face. I think I was 3 or 4 and this is my first waking into what we call consciousness…what a way to enter the world!
Another memory I have of you was when we lived in Rapid City. Dad was always writing a letter to the editor about our governor, Bill Janklow. But one week you wrote a letter that got published. And, sure enough, Janklow called you! I remember handing you the phone and saying, “Mom—it’s for you. It’s governor Janklow!” And you said, “For me?” You couldn’t believe it!
You took the phone in your hand and put it up to your ear and immediately we could hear Janklow shouting at you. And using some very colorful language! You stayed calm and listened for a minute or two and then said, “Mr. Janklow, I don’t appreciate your language!” That didn’t stop him. He went right on with the same verse---only louder and a whole lot worse! You listened a little longer and then finally said, “Mr. Janklow, there seems to be something wrong with my connection. I can’t seem to hear you. I’m afraid I’ll just have to hang up!” And then you slammed the phone down and whispered—“Take that, Janklow!”
I knew then that my mom wasn’t anyone to mess with! She was one tough cookie!
One more memory. A confession of sorts. One year you had me help wrap Sunday School presents for your Sunday School class. I think you were teaching 2nd graders. You had bought them each a deck of miniature cards and I had always wanted a deck like that. So, when I thought you weren’t looking, I slipped a deck into my pocket and said I needed to go to the bathroom. Instead, I went upstairs and put the deck of cards under my pillow. When I got back you made a big deal about missing one deck of cards. And I played along. We looked under the table, in the couch cushions, and more! Each time we came up empty, you said quite loudly in a way that seemed to point towards me, “Hmm! I wonder what happened to those cards!?! We’re one short. Someone’s going to be very disappointed if they don’t get a deck of cards like everyone else!”
Eventually, I “had to go to the bathroom” again! I slipped up to my room, grabbed the cards, and slipped them back onto the “wrapping table” when I thought you weren’t looking. You saw them there and said, “Well, look here! They were here right under our noses after all!”
We both knew that I had taken them all along. But you let me save face!
Mom, you are this family’s North Star. You are our GPS system! Always luring us into becoming better and kinder human beings! I love you for all that you have been for us and all you continue to be.
XO (times 94)
Son number 3, Brook