Yesterday, April 12 was my mother, Susie Latty Day’s birthday. Mom has been gone for nearly twenty-four years now and there isn’t a day when I don’t miss her. I’d love to sit down at her dining table for just one more cup of coffee, just one more chat.
Many times, I wonder what my mother would think of the world today and all the things that are happening. She would probably look at me with questioning gray eyes and say, “You don’t mean that!”
Alice, Georgia, Susie Latty
Mom was born before the days of radio, not to mention television. The internet? Not even a figment of the imagination in her world. She grew up on a farm at Etta Bend with her parents, two sisters, and little brother. Her mother cooked delicious meals on a wood-burning cookstove and their farmhouse at Etta was heated by a fireplace. When the Latty family went to Tahlequah, they rode in a wagon or buggy. Their water came from a never-ending spring across the road. Their refrigerator was the springhouse. Nobody worked in town; they all tilled the ground, grew corn and other vegetables, and killed a hog for meat. Mom grew up with a love for God, family, and her wonderful, free America.
My mother enjoyed music and played the organ. She had a great sense of humor and, as a child, got into her share of mischief. Reading was her favorite form of entertainment. All her life, books were her mainstay. The Bible was the Book to which she turned the most. I have several of her Bibles. Reading the clippings, notes, and poems she stuck within the pages of a much-used Bible is as good as hearing a sermon.
Helen, Mom, me
She was the best friend I’ll ever have. I think of her every day but especially on her birthday. If she were here, I wouldn’t buy or bake her a cake. I’d bake a lemon pie–her favorite. When lilacs (her favorite flower) bloom, and gentle weather comes, I wish she were here to share another springtime. Happy birthday, Mama. I miss you.
Speak Your Mind