U.S. holiday celebrated on second Sunday in May; children honor their mothers with cards, gifts, flowers; first observance in Philadelphia, Pa., 1907, based on suggestions by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 and Anna Jarvis in 1907; national observance dates from 1914

       My mother was born in February, but must have been like a ray of bright sun light to her mother: thus the name June. Mother was an acheiver all her life, getting the education to land her in nursing school when she was just fresh out of high school. Her nursing career would go on and last her 53 years and still going. The stories my mother can tell of her years in the medical field!! They would make a very interesting human interest story.
       Mom had a hard life, marrying a man that was more into alcohol and other *interests* than making his wife feel loved and cared for. Her nursing career saw her through a lot of the heartaches and frustrations. After 20 years in her marriage she divorced... leaving her to go on in her life alone..
       After years of being alone, my mother met Jack... and it wasn't too long before they were the best of friends. Mom soon realized, though, that Jack was beginning to have more than friendship feelings towards her. She prayed and asked the Lord to either change Jacks feelings or help hers to grow strong for him. Jack and Mom were married not too long after that.
       My mother was so happy to be with Jack!! He was a musician and they traveled many places so that he could play his instruments. Moms life was fulfilled like she never thought it could be... until the day the phone call came. Jack had gone to another state to have surgery done on his eyes.. and had passed away. You see, unbeknowned to any of us, Jack was an addicted prescription drug user. He had been born blind, and through all the surgeries to try and correct some of his sight.. he had become addicted to pain medications. After the last surgery he had undergone, to remove his eyes, Jack had gotten a shot of morphine on top of all the other pills he had taken.. and went to sleep to never wake up again. My mothers world was shattered.
       Mother lives with my family now.. and has been with me for many years. She has never met anyone else she is interested in romantically. She just celebrated her 73rd birthday. She is still nursing in a free clinic and enjoying it. I love her very much and hope that I have been able to contribute as much to her life as she has to mine.

       Update on my mother... October 1998, mother was diagnosed with Cirrhosis of the liver (not alcohol related or hepatitis). I was sitting in the doctors office when he told us it was terminal. My heart sunk to my feet. To be told your mother is going to die is not easy. After much prayer, the Lord comforted me with this thought. None of us know how much time we have left with loved ones. We need to tell them how much we love and need them.. every day. I have had that chance and will be telling my mother how much I care about her until the day she is called from this earth to her eternal home. *MoM*