Posted by
KsReaganite on Sunday, May 11, 2008 12:00:00 AM
For reasons that most readers have no need to be reminded of this weekend, I will make an exception from overtly political commentary and speak of something else, someone else, something and someone far more important than all of what I have written and will write several times over. I speak of a woman of virtue, courage, and plain old commonsense.
I speak of my mother.
Approaching the end of her sixth decade on this planet, she has cared for her children and continues to do so. Sure, the nature of that care has changed somewhat, but the love behind it hasn't. And what a superwoman it is who cares for me and my brothers...all of us educated and contributing members of the society. A healthcare professional by training, a teacher by choice, and a philanthrophist by nature, she is still the one who gets the phone calls to hear of triumphs and heartbreaks of children who live all over the map. It is from her that I have inherited a healthy skepticism of politicians and bureaucrats and the sublime faith in the ultimate goodness of the Creator. It is no secret in our rather large extended family that it was the sheer grit and dogged patience of my mother that has made us what we are and allowed us to be in a position where we enjoy a comfortable life. Homes, vacations, graduate school for all the children...all of that was simply wishful thinking when my parents were married almost forty years ago. Patience, hard work, unbelieveable sacrifice, and integrity to a fault...that's what mom put into the venture of marriage and children, and continues to do so. As she says with deadpan humor, she has almost always worked two full time jobs: the regular day job of 40 hours a week, and the one that began as soon as she got home and had no quit time.
Glad she doesn't ask for overtime or otherwise my brothers, myself, and our dad would have filed for chapter 7 a long time ago, LOL.