To my Mom, who taught me to work toward my goals and laugh along the way

 My mom was born in 1928 in Pea Ridge Arkansas to a family of modest means. When she was 7 years old the family moved to Oregon. Her second grade teacher insisted my mom had to go by her first name as some one from Arkansas could not spell Verlaine, even after my mom showed her she could.The teacher held up a picture , asked my mom what it was, she said it was a parasol, the teacher said it was an umbrella and all people from Arkansas are ignorant. Her Teacher insisted that my mom couldn't read because she was from Arkansas and sent her to the boiler room where the reading specialist was, with a note saying as much. The specialist sent my mom back to the teacher with a note saying no, in fact this student could read.

Mom became a 7 1/2 year old ping pong ball, classroom to boiler room, until the specialist had my mom read for the principal, who took mom back to the teacher and said she can read.

 I don't know about you, but it was really hard for me to get my head around the idea that my mom had a life prior to my existence.

She Played Accordion

She was in a dance recital

My Mom was determined to attend what was Oregon State College, now Oregon State University.

She picked beans and cherries in the fields and orchards around Salem, she checked groceries and worked in the canneries, and she made it .

  

She became a Teacher.

She became a wife. (She made her dress.)

a Mom

a Grandma.

We lost her in 2003. Over and over people said to us, I loved her laugh, the thing about your mom that I will miss is her laugh.

Happy Mothers Day Mom.  Miss you much.