A Tribute to the Late and Great Mrs. D. and all women.

Mrs D. we called her as kids...sometimes Joan! She was funny, crazy, sincere, smart, religious, (my Sixth Grade Teacher - that's for another day) but for now, mom (as I learned to call her as God changed my heart to love her) HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY.

This Mother's Day tribute might go out to all moms, and to all those women who wanted to be moms, and last but not least to all those women -  that had moms (I think that covers all of you ladies).

My mom – gave me a rich heritage of faith – modeled by the fact that she was always in church… (could you blame her –  the poor thing. With all of us kids - she had to be).

My mom was a generous person… always giving her money away without any questions asked.

My mother taught me the meaning of contradiction. She would say to us… “If you fall down off that roof and kill yourself – I break your neck..  or IRONY, "Keep on laughing, and I’ll give you something to cry about."

She taught me how to hang in there 

My mom unconditionally reached out to strangers – 1) She told every bank teller and every grocery store clerk all her stories. 2) She took every stray kid in off the streets.

My mom demonstrated what it meant to be a servant. She was always rushing to rescue us whenever we had a bad battery, out of gas, a leg broken or one that was nearly severed off (that was me) or whenever we dropped our keys in the bottom of the lake a hundred miles away or needed help typing term papers (or for the older boy - needed help writing a term paper).

My mother taught me about science and health and English!

For Genetics she said,  “If you keep making that face it’ll stick like that." 

For Health she would say,  “If you don’t eat your vegetables you won’t grow up." Or "If you eat them, it'll put hair on your chest."  (I guess I never ate my vegetables).

For English she'd say, "A turkey in the oven in done, you on the other hand are finished." 

She was brilliant. She could watch I Love Lucky on TV… be on the phone and carry on a conversation with Ida Nargie across the street, have the newspaper open reading an article and at same time should could be typing one of the boys term-papers on a typewriter without making a single mistake. 

She taught me how to be independent. 

She taught me how to achieve my Black Belt. When she locked herself in her room and wouldn't come out... I had to learn to defend myself against my 42 older brothers... exaggeration.  

I guess there is a lot I could be mad about but instead I made a conscious mental decision to let go of the childhood junk – that we as adults hold on to as baggage.  

Good, bad, or ugly… at some point my attitude towards her has to do with the inner working of my heart.  

THANKFULNESS AND FORGIVENESS are great healers.  

No matter how bad it may have been for you - look at this this way - you’re alive – a mother brought you into this world – even if you were given up for adoption... she loved you enough to have you… even if that is the only one thing you have to be thankful for – rehearse it and thank the Good Lord for it!

You woke up this morning” (in other words – I’m alive I have something to be thankful for).

For all those women who dreamed of being mothers, but couldn't have children... who never got married... know that you are not second class women -  YOU ARE LOVED.

To the women who have had an abortion - Know that your child is in heaven and that you are forgiven. 

Women today, I celebrate you.  KERRY I LOVE YOU.  Kiera, (my daughter and future mother of my grandkids), I'm proud of you.

For now I'm done... Oops ...I mean "I'm finished!"