JPF Home Page Forums Creative Arts Forums Creative Writing Forum Still The Best Mommy (it's taken me 40 yrs to write this*glyn)

Thank you Michele,

You are so right over time the pain does get better, and actually when it happened it was like, well at least it's over for her, she won't suffer any more...

She tried this so many times over the years, I remember when I was little of them bringing her home for a mental hospital..she had been hit in the head one year before I was born ...a tornado came and she hid under the bed and parts of wood and metal were picked out of her head, my grandparents worked at the cotton mill and it tore alot of houses around them up pretty bad..I remember her always asking if her bald spot was covered up when sh'd do her hair...my mom was a beautiful...or I thought she was..so elegant, strong, a gorgeous woman..

She tried taking pills, well many things...so when she did this, I didn't want my lil sisters to go through feelings I had when I was their age, I didi't want them to hurt and be scared what would happen is she was gone..so I took over and did what I had to do..getting up before the sun and pick okra to gt their school clothes, I worked doing laundry for folks..$10 dollars a basket i'd wash and iron....got my sisters skates so they could go roller skating with their friends...

You know what I did back then...i'd do it again if I had to..yes, I grew up fast..but I learned alot back then too..

I hope my story and Roy's song will in some way help someone else....and I didn't think of not getting to do things myself, it was more of getting by, I guess...if someone wasn't home when my sisters went to school and there when they got home, welfare(what we called it then) would take my sisters and split them up and put them in foster homes...I couldn't see that happening..my oldest sister was in business college..so it was best for me to quit..I didn't think about it..now i'm no hero or anything..just did what I had to do....and it wasn't really as hard as I thought it would be..

Yes, I had my high school sweetheart and he came by and helped us alot too, then he went on and became a footall coach somewhere down around Houston, Texas. My grandparents lived down the road and they helped out..our church was always there..we had alot of support from the folks around town..

But, at first I hated God,how could he love us and let this happen??? Then I became to think of how selfish my mom was for leaving us like she did..then reality set in and I began to realize she was sick and not herself at that time, when I let go of all that...I was ok...and was able to help my sisters more..one of the doctors in town came out and talked to us many times on what happened..and so, see we had alot of support..

Sometimes I see things at work and I wish I could have talked to those families....but I guess that's life...

I'm ok today, it was so long ago now..I love Roy's song..sad, but it helps...

Thank you Michele, you are a lovely, talented lady and i'm so happy you are my friend...

glyn