Happy Mother’s Day to all of you Moms out there! I hope you have a wonderful day, surrounded by lots of love. If you have not called your Mom to tell her you love her yet today, go do it right now. She’s waiting to hear from you. Don’t worry about me and the blog, take your time and have a nice visit. We’ll be right here when you get back.
Yesterday afternoon Miss Terry got a very nice surprise; this beautiful bouquet my son Travis and his wife Geli sent from Alabama. There were some happy tears shed when she saw the flowers.
My mom has been gone for almost 24 years now, and I sure wish she was here today so I could tell her that I love her. My Mom was a typical stay at home mother, and as the youngest of her eight children, I was always her baby, even when I became a grown man with children of my own. I know I gave her fits sometimes, and though she was a short, little round woman, she could hold her own in any situation.
Long before I was born, when my dad was a young deputy sheriff in Lucas County, Ohio, they lived in a rural area that was known for its rough element. If you’ve read my mystery novel Dog’s Run, you’ll have some idea of what I’m talking about. In fact, that story is loosely based upon a case that my dad was involved in, back in the day.
At any rate, Dad had arrested two brothers who were among the worst of the worst, and they didn’t take too kindly to that. In fact, they had passed the word around that they planned to come calling to settle matters as soon as they served their time. My old man never backed down from a fight in his life and let it be known that if they crossed paths there would be hell to pay. So instead, the brothers decided to take the easy way out, and waited until he was on duty and showed up at my parents’ small wood frame house.
My mom was far into a difficult pregnancy and the doctor had ordered her to stay in bed. That’s where the brothers found her but they didn’t stay long. The minute she saw them coming in the bedroom door she reached under her pillow and pulled out the little nickel-plated Smith & Wesson .32 revolver my dad had given her. The first shot went over their heads, and later it was determined that the second one probably caught one of them in the leg as they beat a hasty retreat, since there was blood on the floor and one was seen limping away from the scene. As to what happened to the brothers after that, I never heard. But I suspect that if Mom had not already put the fear of God into them, Dad settled things once and for all.
In spite of her one experience in pistolcraft, my mother was a sweet lady who was loved by everyone who ever met her. Life didn’t always treat her kindly. She outlived five of her eight children but she overcame her heartbreak each time, picked up the pieces, and went on with her life. Mom never lost her sense of humor, no matter what happened. She passed that on to me and it has helped me deal with plenty of setbacks in my own life.
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. I love you, and I miss you.
Today is your last chance to enter our Free Drawing for an audiobook of Crazy Days in Big Lake, the third book in my Big Lake mystery series. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn this evening.
Thought For The Day – Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. – Pearl S. Buck
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Nick Russell
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Currently reading Big Lake Lynching…. hope to read #3 next
That is the kindest and most interesting Mom tribute I have read, thanks for sharing. I can’t imagine out living 5 children, what a testimony of her resolve.
Great story about your Mom. You look just like her by the way! Max.
A beautiful tribute to an obviously very beautiful and loving Mom. She would be very proud of you, Nick. Thank you for sharing.
Wish I could have met your mom, she sounds like a really neat person.
Just finished Big Lake Honeymoon. Loved it, had me hooked at the beginning. A great “who done it” that I didn’t figure out. As usual the characters don’t disappoint. The scenes with Archer are lough out loud funny. A wonderful read, you have done it yet again…
Jan
A Happy Mom’s Day to Terry and what a nice bouquet of flowers!! And a lovely tribute to your awesome mother!! Mine has been gone now 14 years and I miss her every day yet!! I had an excellent mom too. And her mom was equally loved by me and been gone now 27 years. We never get over missing them do we? Your story about your mom is an unusual one!!