Sunday, February 4, 2018
Reflections About Mom
By Jerry Witt – 01/31/18
How can I begin to cover her life of 99 years? We were so fortunate to have her in our lives for all of those years. Each of us, on this day of celebrating her life, will reflect on our numerous memories of her. I once tried to write a poem about all of my memories, but quickly realized there were so many memories that I could only cover slices of her parenting time. I gave that poem to her on “Mother’s Day” in 1989, which was the same day I graduated with my Bachelors degree. It was a mile-stone day I felt we both shared, in being graded and recognized. Education was always important to my mother who didn’t finish High School. Her remorse was an inspiration for me to finish my college education that she had sacrificed herself for, years earlier. She was also there to share in my graduation as a Doctor of Chiropractic. In fact, when I opened my practice, my first patient was Mom!
But Mom’s support of her children, while memorable, were out-shined by her personal qualities of: an excellent memory, family values, moral character, a love of baseball, and fun.
Mom could remember family stories and dates down to the day of the week. I asked her to write all of it down, because I would never be able to match her recollection of these cherished stories. She spent hours writing “Your Heritage” that she left behind for us and future generations. What a treasured gift!
Mom also maintained strong beliefs in family and moral values. Sometimes we had to “agree to disagree”, because family was first. Her moral beliefs were confirmed when she said, you don’t take what isn’t yours, and your word is more important than any written contract. She had boundaries you didn’t cross!
If you knew my Mom, you likely knew about her love of baseball. As a kid growing up, it was my Mom that took us to ball games. And I recall that she would schedule her annual vacation in October just so she could watch the “World Series”. She was a KC Royal’s fan and followed their games on television all the way through the season and into winning the World Series. It was a banner experience for her!
Some of my best memories of Mom are of all the fun times we shared. She loved to play cards, and she loved to dance. And I loved to dance with her! I recall a night out where her and I danced to “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Old Oak Tree”. And she loved the songs sung by George Straight. Most of all, I remember how my Mom could light up a room with her smile, her blue eyes, and her dimples.
The night she left us with this aching empty spot, I held her hand and was comforted in knowing her spiritual belief of God and Jesus was taking her to join her parents and siblings. How happy she must have been!”
