In honor of Mother’s Day, we want to hear your mom stories. Despite the really bad bowl cut she gave you in the first grade, moms are superheroes with really large purses and emergency cases of water in her trunk. So, send your stories our way and let us help you honor her on our website, social media and newsletter.
Julie Pressley’s Tribute to Her Mom, Linda:
Mother: the all encompassing pronoun. I have seen the best and nobody beats her! A good Christian and southern lady, she was raised in the Georgia mountains with two brothers, no air conditioning, and one bathroom for the family of 5 (ouch).
She became the strongest person I know. Her childhood might have resembled many southerners in the 40’s and 50’s. They were sustainable before it was cool. Gardening, canning vegetables, hunting deer and freezing the meat to last all winter, and sewing their own clothes. They weren’t rich by any means. Her mother was a cook at the school cafeteria and her father, a gunsmith by hobby, worked building roads for the state of Georgia. But they had all they needed.
Now the bad-ass part…..this gorgeous southern lady went to study at North Georgia College and became the captain of the Women’s Rifle team. My father says, “she was probably the best shot I’ve seen, (and he had fought 2 tours in Vietnam) and “sexy as hell in her uniform” (ewwwww Dad).
When she and my father married, they had very little to start off. One of those “$5 and a used Buick” stories. Remember, back in the 70’s women in the workforce was breaking the surface but almost against the will of most corporations. She applied for a job (and had a degree mind you) but because she had just recently married and she was a woman they said she’d probably be popping out kids on a yearly so they wouldn’t hire her. Of course she eventually found a job.
Flash forward 7 years to after having my sister and the original but female version of Stewie Griffin (c’est moi!) she and my dad had made a home in Florida. She was crafty; sewed everything from our Easter and Christmas dresses to E.T. and wonder woman costumes. She was loving with an endless supply of hugs! She’d kiss away boo boos when we fell and scraped our knees. But then she would also go cut a switch and whoop some ass when needed.
When I started my junior year in high school, it was evident that the oversized classrooms and over crowded school presented a very real challenge for me. So this amazing woman homeschooled me the last two years of high school. There was more red ink on my papers than I had ever seen! Did I mention she was super wicked smart? Because of her sacrifice and discipline, my grades improved and I was accepted by several colleges to which I had applied. Those two years would forge a bond that would continue to grow exponentially.
Over the years she has suffered from the effects of Lupus and arthritis. But nonetheless, she continues to be bad ass! She has designed and created table top decorations for large fundraisers and local events. Her southern cooking and baking is next level amazing. Both my parents can still be seen clearing brush, building raised garden beds, fixing lawn mowers. etc. on their property.
She has made multiple face masks for friends and family and continues to sew despite pain from Lupus. I could go on with so many more stories of this amazing woman.
She has been a working mom, a stay at home mom, a home-schooling mom, and everything in between. My mom has an amazing capacity to love and forgive. She is strong and never compromises her integrity. listens, I mean really listens. She has endured both financial losses and wins. Her faith in God is steadfast. She is funny and silly. She is beautiful and amazing. And she is my mom.
Interested in sharing your mom stories? Drop us a line at hello@itsthesway.com. Or, check out this mom tribute from reader Nicholas van Tudler.
