ON MOTHER'S DAY
LILACLADY JUNEBUG2
Here I was five years old with my
dear Grandma
My Mother and my Grandmother
were special to me
because they
shared strong devotion
in helping grow up.
I thought Mother the most
beautiful woman
in the world.
Blue eyes
Red hair
while I had brown eyes
like grandfather.
Boston Baked Beans
said Grandfather of me.
At Grandma's house
here I am with Mom and Dad.
1933 - just a day old
Grandfather took this photo.
GROWING UP A WOMAN
What was it like for you
my friend, to grow up
a woman ?
FOR ME IT WAS MANY THINGS.
1. When I was born, my MOTHER w a n t e d me.
She was not married to my father, but he loved her.
She knew I was on the way ! And though I was
in her womb, I knew SHE LOVED ME.
Dad married her before I was born.
2. When a child is W A N T E D that baby
knows and understands, although limited.
Babies can F E E L
their Mother's heart cry.
3. As I was born, I remember the hospital and
yes, I knew I was with a doctor IN A VERY
COLD ROOM and he brought me to my
Mother. As she took me to herself I FELT
HER LOVE FOR ME. No words were
spoken.
4. I remember next that she was in a room, and
i was gently laid on her bosom. Oh I felt
the closeness with my Mother. When Mother
took me home with her, I then
gently laid in a D R A W E R for a bed.
Blankets around me I remember a blue one
with silk lining on it. Though Mother fed me
by bottles, I still felt her closeness as she
held me tenderly and spoke loving words
I felt warm.
5. When Mother went to bed, she argued that she
wanted the baby to sleep in the bed with them.
Daddy said no. She had to sleep in the "bed"
Mother made in the Drawer. I had
a sense of "where is she" and finally figured
out she was on the opposite side of Daddy
Where I had been snuggled to her in bed
now I was "in bed" on the other side of
the room.
Alright. That was How I Started to
know my Mother.
Things that Grew My Love
1. She talked to me. I listened.
2. She always showed care and tenderness.
Never, ever, was she cross at me.
3. Somehow, though we had little,
she always made me feel like a princess.
How special I was.
4. Because she felt God had given her
this baby, she loved me
and did all
that a Mother
does in
raising her
child.
one day
when I was playing mudpies
and making patty cakes
with dirt and water
and a little bench.
She sat there watching me, I
was almost three.
A friend wanted to play, so
I asked her.
She said "you can go"
Soon I was back.
She asked me why?
I said,
"They wanted me to
play naughty
and pull down
my pants"
So I came home
to her.
I trusted her wisdom.
She told me many
things
Never do I hear
Parents talking to
their child like my
mother did for me.
She always
knew
I was going
to be some one special.
And so she did her
best to make it
happen.
God was not a part of her
life, but I knew
that Someone was
helping her.
She had a childlike faith
that sometimes
was beyond
words.
One day she told me,
as I approached my fourth
birth day, "June, when you
grow up, and find out
who GOD IS, and you
believe, I want you to tell
me and help me to
know God too"
THAT ? ! was a
task that
I never forgot.
When I grew up and
was 10 years old,
Mother worked a lot.
I was like a second Mother
to my siblings
first Harry Jr. whom we
called "Skip"
He was 4 years younger.
and
then, Diane Emily
who was 8 years
younger than i.
So we spent a lot of time
together
And always,
when Mother
came home from work
she would spend
time talking with
me.
At this time, Skip was 6 while
Diane was 2.
Well. Let me say that when I grew up
I did tell my Mother about what I found out.
I remember when I was 1l I went to
Brownies club meeting
at the Episcopal Church in town.
I learned the Ten Commandments
and that is how I got my "wings" for
Girl Scouts.
Although I never did
go to Girl Scouts, it had a
big impact on my life.
For I knew
the 10 Commandments
and I knew
that I was a sinner
lost
and
needing a Savior.
Well we moved a lot.
I had moved back to North
Adams, MA and I went
to 4th grade in
the school there.
As we got ready for classes
one morning, the
Home room teacher
said,
We have a man here
who wants to know
if any one wants a New Testament
of the Bible"
I raised my hand for one,
and got it.
As I went home, and
was reading
Yes - and I could read -
(a lot of practice in
reading funny books
to my little brother)
John 3. 16 became
my verse that day.
I put my name in
the WHOSOEVER
and I knew for sure
really
for sure
that my sins were
forgiven.
and
that I was on
MY WAY TO HEAVEN.
A GRADUATE OF HIGH SCHOOL
In a class of 200 Seniors
and a school with 1000 students
in it
there were only
three red heads in
the whole school
and
two of them
were in
my class.
SO EVERY ONE KNEW ME
I was persistant.
I had moved so many times that
I had learned to not
say to people what
I was thinking.
I did not always feel
that people accepted
me.
But I knew
God loved me
so I did the best I
could.
I tried hard
at everything.
Some things I could
not do and
it befuddled me.
I would get
instructions mixed up.
I was slow at reading
comprehension
and later learned to over
come it, but
it was hard
for me to study.
I kept at it.
Somehow Somewhere
I started going to Church.
The Receptionist at the Y M C A when
I would go swimming
on tues and thursdays
invited me
to the church.
So I went.
I began to learn about Jesus.
I began to really
understand more.
And when I was 12
I got baptized.
But as I entered my
High School years,
I did not find
much to encourage
me to know How To
Conduct myself.
I went every friday
to a DANCE. I even helped
draw the posters for the
occasions.
I was known for my
art work.
I sang, and could sing with
the bands, solos from
time to time.
When I danced, I
usually talked about
my church
and my Lord.
So I did not
get any dates.
There were five bands in
our class at school
Drury High had that many musicians.
We had enough Italian kids and
I was the ONLY one with no
parents speaking it at
home,
and who
was not Catholic.
So I got to know a lot
of people
and wrote for
my school paper.
I was terrible at
Science.
And Math.
and even in English
grammar was having
some trouble in
understanding
what the
teacher
was telling
me.
AND THEN I DISCOVERED
I had a Church Library
and Mom and Dad
were going to
move again
so I chose to
RIDE THE BUS
TO SCHOOL
EVERY DAY
I used the time to read
my Bible
I took it every
SO I APPLIED FOR COLLEGE
1951
I had been singing in my Church Choir
I had begun frequenting the Church Library
Reading Missionary Biographies
Learning about Haystack Monument
in Williamstown MA and I visited it
with Mother. I was wanting to be
a missionary.
We had special meetings
in our church, called
NEW LIFE WEEK
and for the first
time ever I heard
that when Jesus
died on the Cross
He paid ALL MY DEBT TOTALLY
SET ME FREE
and that
NOTHING I HAVE DONE
OR
EVER WILL DO
EVER
WILL
PAY THAT DEBT
IT IS FREE
I knew NOW
that I was SAVED BY GRACE THROU
FAITH
IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD
NOT OF WORKS
LEST ANY MAN
SHOULD BOAST.
For the very first time
I realized that I could not
take any credit for
any thing
only that
God in His Mercy Loved Me
and
I owe Him my whole Life
to serve Him.
That was in 1950.
I graduated in 1951.
I left for College in September 1951
SO THAT WAS WHAT I
DID.
And that is another story
on my blog!
Come Journey With Me
June Estelle Cash