Mothers come in all shapes and sizes. Some are tall and thin as a pencil and some are short and round like a soft ball of yarn. Some wear smiles on their faces at all times and in all circumstances while others just can't seem to find anything to smile about. Some have blue eyes and some eyes are brown. Some are loud and boisterous while others are soft spoken and meek. Some were gifted with a myriad of talents while others struggle to put two pieces of cloth together.
Yes, it takes a whole lot of different mothers to take their place in God's tapestry of motherhood--and to Him, each one is choice. There is no single mold to make a mother. My mom was neither tall nor short; she was not round and she was not thin; she smiled most of the time, but occasionally, she would wear a cross look on her face; her eyes were neither blue nor were they brown--they were gray; she was not loud or boisterous--she was more the meek, quiet type; and my mother was the most gifted woman I know!
Let me tell you about my mother.
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| Florence Campbell at age 18 |
Florence Campbell was born in a small farming community in Southern Utah nearly 100 years ago. It was a time when families spent all of their time together and everyone pitched in to keep the farms and families going. They were made of the glue that held our country together during tough times. It was in the humble Campbell home that my mother learned the art of homemaking. And she did it in record time, for her mother left this earthly realm when mother was just 13 years old. She learned from her amazing mother--an example to all who knew her-- how to bake bread, sew her own clothes (sometimes by hand,) wash and iron them using crude implements; and she learned the joy of service.
When my mother met my dad, it was not love at first sight. In fact, she had just been abandoned at a dance by her date (my dad's brother!) And, being the gentleman that my dad was, he felt it was the "right thing to do" to take her home. The rest, as they say, is history.
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| Harvey and Florence Davenport 50th Wedding Anniversary |
My mom was the perfect wife and mother and my dad sang her praises on more than one occasion. He knew she was that one special gift from God, saved just for him. He knew she would be an outstanding mother. And she never let him down.
To me (and to my brother and sisters) she was an angel living on earth. She tried to teach us the "fine art of homemaking," but, alas, some of us just didn't have the patience for it. Of course, I can only speak for myself, but I did my chores and never left the house until they were done. My mind, while working as fast as I could, was constantly on moving on to better things--like playing with my friends. Today, I am thankful for her patience.
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| Florence Davenport, age 25 |
I will never be able to fill my mother's shoes, but I did glean some valuable lessons from her. I learned to love unconditionally; I learned the satisfying feeling one gets inside when your work produces a shiny, clean house; I learned to duplicate the pungent smells that come from freshly baked bread or chocolate chip cookies; I learned that music can fill your heart as well as your hearth and calm even the angriest beast; and finally, I have learned that the Gospel of Jesus Christ completes me. God's plan of happiness brings joy into my life each day that I live.
I see my mother's teaching reflected in my own children and grandchildren. And I know that If I did anything right in teaching them the values of this life, it is because of my mother's teachings that stuck with me.
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| Florence Davenport, age 85 |
My angel mother departed this earth on Mother's Day, May 12, 2002. It was a day of sorrow and it was a day of joy. Sorrow because I would never hold her beautiful hands in mine on this earth and tell her how very much I love her; and joy, because I know she is no longer in excruciating pain and has passed through the veil into the loving arms of my dad. She lived a good life; she was faithful to the end...and I know she heard the words of our Savior, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
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| I love you, Mom! Happy Mother's Day! |
