Memories of Mother's Day

 I have many memories of Mother’s Day.  It was President Woodrow Wilson who proclaimed May 9,

 1914 as the first Mother’s Day.  In doing so, he asked all Americans, on that day, to give a big

 thank you to their mother and all mothers.

When I was a little kid, back in the late 1930s and early 1940s, I remember several Mother’s Days, when my twin brothers and I wanted to give our mother a little gift, but we had no money.  The Great Depression still gripped the country—nobody had much.  Those of us living on farms, although we had little money, we had a roof over our heads and something to eat.

Just to the north of our farmhouse was a twenty-acre woodlot.  On the far north end of the woodlot was an open area.  Violets grew there, beautiful, mostly purple violets.  On many of my Sunday afternoon walks with my dad, we had discovered this violet patch.  The violets were usually in full bloom in early May, just about the time the trees were beginning to leaf out. Just in time for Mother’s Day.

I remember one year, I was probably six or seven years old, when I invited my twin brothers, three and half years younger than me, to trek out to the violet patch, and pick some violets for our mother on Mother’s Day.

Our mother had the most surprised look on her face, when we came home, and each handed her a little bouquet of violets and said “Happy Mother’s Day.”  I thought she should be smiling, but instead I saw tears in her eyes.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Sometimes the simplest gifts are the best gifts.

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS:

To purchase Jerry’s books,, go to your local bookstore, order online from bookshop.org, or purchase from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org
If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s.  and look at their great selection of my books, including my new ones, or order a book by calling them at 1-877-634-4414. They will be happy to help you.