When I was growing up the first two weeks of May always meant lots of excitement around our house. My mother's birthday was May 3, and was followed quickly by Mother's day. Both were special to us. My mother passed away in March of 2000 and the beginning of May is now a reminder of a great loss.
My mother was a kind and gentle sprit bred from an incredibly hard, sorrowful childhood. Her mother died shortly after giving birth to her younger brother, leaving a newborn and my then nearly two-year old mother and six other siblings motherless. Her father tried to care for them with the help of his sisters-in-law. He eventually married a woman with two daughters. After the marriage the family moved to Canada where my grandfather thought he could make a live in the logging camps.
Once in Canada, my grandfather and his wife found a place to live and left the children in the care of the eldest siblings while they went to logging camps as lumberjack and cook. The children often did not have anything to eat unless they fished or hunted. The people that lived nearby knew the situation and would quite often bring food to help the children survive.
The marriage broke up and my grandfather placed the younger siblings with aunts and uncles. My mother was then around 8 years old. A family that lived in St. Cloud, MN, offered to adopt my mother. My grandfather allowed that and my mother suddenly had a new family. Her adoptive parents were very unkind to her and mistreated her. Her father's sister, Daisy, was living in Dell Rapids, SD and found about her situation. She went and got her and took her back to Dell Rapids to live with her. My mother finished grade school, but her aunt wanted her to stay and work at home instead of going to high school. My mother found a job with another family and finished high school.
Her life after moving Dell Rapids was much better, however, it was never easy. My siblings and I never really understood how hard things were until we were adults. She never let us see the struggle. I feel this is a great tribute to her strength and the love she had for us. I miss her greatly and wish every day that I could tell her that.
So I hope that everyone who can takes advantage of Mother's Day and tells their mother how much she means to them!