What's your best memory of your mother? That's a question that is oft-repeated as Mother's Day draws nearer. My siblings and I and our children have heard the words of Iva Louise Nesmith Huffingham again and again. We think that what we remember most is the things she said.
. . . delayed obedience is disobedience
. . . what's down in the well comes up in the bucket
. . . sitting that close to a boy will put a crease in his slacks
. . .your body changes after 11 p.m.
She was diligent to insure that we were fed, clothed, churched, and educated. She was never the fun mom. Everything had a purpose. If you slept past 7 half the day was gone.
As a grandmother, she remained serious. I don't know that any of our children remember funny things she said or did.
Oh, there was that one time when she put some sort of color on her hair. This attempt was on a Saturday night. It didn't work so she tried desperately to get it out. She thought she had been successful until the next morning at church when she was the object of great entertainment, at least in her grandsons' opinion. Her hair was purple.
As she has aged, she's still remained very serious. UNTIL. . .
Cindy and I were visiting and she began to tell us about this man that "if she was going to have a special friend it was this man whose name is George". She told us that she had followed him around as he wheeled through the halls - both of them in their wheelchairs. That in itself was cause for us to smile.
But when she said "they have a hard time getting him out of the bed," we were aghast.
I was bold. I wrote on the whiteboard that we use for communication. "So are you the kind of friends who share a bed?"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT", she exclaimed and all three of us enjoyed a hearty laugh.
Another day she was talking about her funeral, and the fact that she needs to lose weight or they will be stuffing her in the coffin. We assured her that her weight is fine.
She told us that they can split the back of the dress if it's too tight. Then she asked about her black patent leather shoes. We told her she won't need shoes in a coffin and she said that was good because I could put them in my closet with all the shoes I own. She said I needed a pair of shoes about like Robert needs another cap. I do have a lot of shoes, but we don't know where she got anything about Robert and caps. Lester and Tray are the cap wearers.
My point in this is that we enjoy visiting her when she's cracking jokes. That's a part of her personality we have never seen and we appreciate the opportunity to laugh with her.
We do know that she has always loved to entertain - and be the center of attention. She's told us many times about the day she showed her panties to Grandma Nesmith's ladies luncheon.
Maybe she really is returning to her childhood. She is after all, 98 years of age (which she can always remember - even when other facts are fuzzy.)
Lester and Jennifer, Cindy and Robert, and I are going to see her on Mother's Day. We wonder if she'll ask Lester and Jen about the movies they've been in on the Hallmark channel.
Who knows what she might say to us --- I expect we will all listen - and add her words - silly or not - to our memory bank.
Romans 8:28 is still in the book!
And we will always say -
"that's what our mother said."
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