YOU ONLY HAD ONE CHILD AND SHE WAS MY NATURAL BIRTH MOTHER. HER NAME WAS RUBY. I ALWAYS THINK OF THE PRECIOUS STONE: THE RUBY.
THANK YOU MOM, FOR YOU TRIED TO DO YOUR BEST FOR US KIDS EVEN UNDER SUCH DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES. MY LITTLE BROTHER AND I WHO WERE WITH YOU WHEN WE WERE KIDNAPPED, AND I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT YEAR AND A HALF OF HORRORS.
THE STORY IS TOO LONG TO TELL HERE, BUT WE ESCAPED AT LAST AND GOT BACK TO OUR HOME CITY. YOU HAD A NERVOUS BREAK DOWN AND WAS GIVEN ELECTRIC SHOCK TREATMENTS OVER MANY MONTHS, MAYBE A YEAR OR MORE.
ALL FIVE OF US KIDS WHEN INTO FOSTER HOMES. THE FOSTER PARENTS MY LITTLE BROTHER AND I HAD WERE OLD BUT DESCENT AND VERY STRICT. I REMEMBER I HATED IT THERE AND THOUGHT ABOUT MY LITTLE BROTHER AND I RUNNING AWAY.
BUT MOM, ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE GONE TO THE OTHER SIDE, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR BEST UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
I REMEMBER YOU WOULD SLEEP ON THE BARE FLOOR SO US KIDS WOULD HAVE MATTRESSES TO SLEEP ON. YOU DIDN’T DRIVE SO WE JUST WALKED EVERYWHERE WE WENT. SOMETIME 20 OR 25 MILES. HOW TIRED AND THIRSTY I WOULD GET.
I REMEMBER THE SONGS YOU WROTE: EVERYBODY’S DREAMING, LETS GET TOGETHER FOR THAT RAINY DAY, AND SWEEPING THE COB-WEBS FROM THE GLOOM, AND MANY MORE. YOU PLAYED THE VIOLIN AND THE PIANO.
I STILL HAVE A BOX OF POEMS YOU WROTE. YOU LIVED TO A RIPE OLD AGE OF 90. I PRAY FOR YOU EVERYDAY EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE. I LOVE YOU, MAY YOU REST IN PEACE.
MOTHER OF MY MOTHER. SWEET GRANDMOTHER, WE CALLED YOU BY YOUR NAME LILLIE INSTEAD OF CALLING YOU GRANDMOTHER BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT THE TITLE GRANDMOTHER WAS TOO OLD SOUNDING.
YOU WERE SOMETHING ELSE, I MEAN YOU WERE A BALL OF LIVING FIRE. YOU GOT US KIDS OUT OF THE FOSTER HOMES AND TOGETHER WITH YOUR FAIRLY WELL TO DO SISTER BOUGHT A HOUSE WITH A GOOD SIZE YARD AND BEGAN MOTHERING US.
YOU TAUGHT ME TO PRAY AND KEPT US KIDS IN CHURCH. MOST OF THE KIDS DIDN’T SEEM TOO INTERESTED IN CHURCH OR THE BIBLE BUT I FOUND IT EXCITING.
YOU WORKED SO HARD TO KEEP FINANCES AND NEEDS FOR THE FAMILY FLOWING. I HAVE NEVER MET A TRUER SAINT, A MORE DEDICATED TO GOD PERSON. WHEN YOU PLAYED THE PIANO I COULD FEEL THE SPIRIT AS THE HARP OF DAVID.
YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO DIE. YOU HAD SEVERAL SMALL STROKES. YOU DIDN’T WANT TO GO THE THE DOCTOR. YOU SAT IN THE BIG OLD ROCKING CHAIR HOURS ON END. WHEN I ASKED YOU IF I COULD TURN THE RADIO ON FOR COMPANY WHILE I WAS AT WORK, YOU SAID NO, SOMETHING NOT GOOD MIGHT COME ON AND YOU WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO TURN IT OFF. WHEN THE AMBULANCE CAME TO TAKE YOU AND I WATCHED IT DRIVE YOU AWAY TO THE HOSPITAL, I HOWLED WITH SUCH DEEP GRIEF I COULD HARDLY BREATHE. I KNEW THE TIME OF THE CROSS OVER HAD COME.
WITHOUT PAIN YOU PASSED ON TO THE OTHER SIDE. I MISSED YOU MORE THAN TEARS COULD EVER TELL. I STILL MISS YOU AFTER ALL THESE MANY MANY YEARS. I LOVE YOU SO! I PRAY FOR YOU EVERYDAY.
GOD GAVE ME A WIFE AND SHE WAS THE MOTHER OF OUR CHILDREN. SHE IS BEAUTIFUL OF SPIRIT AND LOYALTY BEYOND MULTITUDE OF HEARTS. VERY SOON…THIS YEAR WE WILL BE MARRIED 50 YEARS.
WE HAVE WALKED THIS JOURNEY TOGETHER, SHE IS MY PAL, SHE IS MY LOVE, SHE IS MY PARTNER IN GOD. I LOVE HER BEYOND WORDS. SHE RAISED OUR CHILDREN WITH FIRM ATTACHMENT TO THEM AND LOVED THEM INTO ADULTHOOD.
I LOVE HER, WE ARE MERGED IN SPIRIT AS ONE.
NOW WE HAVE DAUGHTERS WHO ARE GREAT MOTHERS. BLESS THEM O’ LORD AND KEEP THEM IN PEACE, HAPPINESS AND HEALTH. MOM AND I LOVE THEM SO VERY MUCH!
AND TO ALL THE OTHER MOTHERS OF FRIENDS AND CO-FAITH BELIEVERS ,MY LOVE AND PRAYERS.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY
JERRY O. LEE