Happy Mother's Day

Leah, Louise, Rebecca: Columbia, Mo 2004

Libby, Brett, Rachel, Roman, Davis Kansas City 2009

Long before we had the tradition of celebrating Mother's Day at a restaurant, I remember Mother-Daughter banquets at church with the singing of songs like:

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M Is for the Many things she gave me,
O Means only that she's growing Old.
T Is for the Tears she shed to save me,
H Is for her Heart of purest gold.
E Is for her Eyes with love light shining,
R Means Right and Right she'll always be.

Put them all together, They spell MOTHER.
A word that means the world to me.

I recall going with my mother and grandmother to banquets at Lafayette Park Methodist Church---in the basement with paper covered tables, flowers on the table and programs tied together with cords. We would get dressed up and the women would wear corsages---red or pink carnations if their mothers were living white if they weren't.
Our church continues with the tradition, but it's more inclusive---it's for all women whether or not they have daughters or mothers living.

We were asked to wear pearls and bring our favorite tea cup (mine is from my ESL students Iris Tsui and Cindy Lai). We had three kinds of scones, three kinds of sandwiches and three kinds of desserts.
All were served on pedestal plates by each table's designated hostess.
The theme was based on Proverbs 31:10-31 which begins with "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above pearls."
Leah and Anna accompanied me this year continuing the tradition begun with my sister and me, my mother, Louise Long and my grandmother, Vennie Wicker. Like pearls, we are linked together with our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers---linked with tradition and love. Happy Mother's Day Rebecca, Rachel and Leah!