The following article was published in this paper in May, 1992.

My mother, now long deceased, was still alive. I thank God I wrote it so she could be honored and blessed on that Mother’s Day:

This week, I would like to pay tribute to a very special lady. I’ve disappointed her many times, but she, with her unconditional love, never failed me or my brother and sisters.

My mother always performed better when the conditions were the worse. The greatest gift she gave us was the way she loved and respected our father.

When she took her wedding vows, she took them seriously. She truly loved, honored and obeyed our dad. She still talks of him sometimes like he’s still there, even though he has been deceased 42 years.

When we were children, getting sick with a cold and fever really wasn’t too bad. She even made that a pleasant experience.

I can still remember being in bed at night, sick, and my mom bringing me some warm lemonade to drink and then rubbing my chest with Vick’s vapor rub and putting a warm flannel on it.

I really don’t know if it cured the sickness, but it sure felt good.

To be honest, I still miss that.

As a young boy, I cannot remember ever coming home to an empty house. My mother was always there. When my dad really got mad, my mom could always calm him down, not with words, but just with concern and love for all of us.

I’ll never forget the time I changed a few grades on my report card when I was in the eighth grade. I had never seen my dad so angry. My mom, literally, saved me that day. Thanks, mom!

I served four years in the Navy, and this may be hard for many of you to believe, but my mother wrote to me everyday.

My mother never failed any of her children or her 14 grandchildren.

They call her Maw-Maw and visit her regularly. They never forget her because when they were growing up, she was always there to give a loving word or some understanding when we, as parents, grew impatient. She also did her share of babysitting.

My mother will be 89 years old on May 26. She now has 26 great-grandchildren who lovingly call her Maw-Maw Jello.

The reason is simple! When they visit her, and that’s often, she always has jello and whipped cream for them.

Yes, God has been good to us. I thank Him for that special lady and ask His continued blessing on her, not only this Mother’s Day, for the rest of her life.

Mama, from all us, we love you and wish you, and all the other mothers, a very happy Mother’s Day!

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-8477, or email hkeller@comcast.net.