My Mama Was A Southpaw

But She Was Always Right!

Remembering my dear Mom on her special day. The quote

today comes from a hand written note Mom gave me as I was heading off to begin my Freshman year at Auburn University in the Fall of 1967. It was written on the back of an old fashioned nursery label, in her unmistakable left handed backwards slanted script. I put it in my wallet and have managed to hang on to it all  these years, though I don't keep it in my wallet anymore.

It has meant so much to me through the years that I passed

these same words on to my daughter Beth, when she left

for Auburn in the Fall of 2005. I hope it will mean as

much to her as it has to me, and I hope she

might some day be inclined to pass it on.

Recently I ran across the following poem that expresses

my love and appreciation for my Mom much more

eloquently than I ever could.

My Mother Kept A Garden
 

My mother kept a garden
A garden of the heart,
She planted all the good things
that gave my life a start.

She turned me to the sunshine
and encouraged me to dream
Fostering and nurturing
the seeds of self-esteem.

And when the winds and rains came
she protected me enough
but not too much - she knew I'd need
to stand up strong and tough.

Her constant good example
that taught me right from wrong
were markers for my pathway
to last my whole life long.

I am my mother's garden
I am her legacy
And I hope today she feels the love
Reflected back from me.