2 posts tagged “lodie wilson”

It is my mother's birthday today. She would have been 88. Of all the losses I have ever experienced in this life, the loss of my Mother in 1991 has been the greatest. She was an amazing grandmother to our boys, and eventually a good mother in law to my wife. We all miss her, but we will see her again.

If I were hanged on the highest hill,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!
I know whose love would follow me still,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

If I were drowned in the deepest sea,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!
I know whose tears would come down to me,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

If I were damned of body and soul,
I know whose prayers would make me whole,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

Rudyard Kipling

While I was searching in a closet at our home yesterday, I came across several cassette tapes. One was of the Bethesda Baptist Church choir's Easter presentation of many years ago. My mother (who passed away 15 years ago) sang a solo in that musical. Another tape was of a sermon preached by Brother James Herndon, long-time pastor at Bethesda. He passed away before my mother. The final tape was of my oldest son Adam's 2nd Christmas.

I brought that tape to church to see whether you could still hear it. Surprisingly, the sound quality was okay. On that Christmas morning, apparently the whole family was at our house. So you hear my Mother and Father (who passed away last September), my aunt Louise and Uncle William (many years gone), my brother, and Bunny and me enjoying seeing Adam at 16 months of age, experience his first real Christmas.

Listening intently, I could hear Adam tell Bunny he wanted to go see "granmurner" (He got better at it). And I heard my Mother's voice for the first time in 15 years.

Sigh...

My father's voice was strong and clear - not like the man I talked to in August - so frail.

You know, I'm so glad I decided to record it all that morning, but in some ways their voices won't ever cease. I was drilled on being a certain kind of person. "We don't do that." "Son, when you go to work - work." "Remember, there but by the grace of God, go you."

What they said then affected my doing. I obeyed my parent's will.

But what that did was affect my being.

I am their son.

And I hear their voices.