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Memories make the day special
Liberty lore
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President Woodrow Wilson signed a joint resolution in Congress on May 9, 1914, recommending the federal government observe Mothers Day. The next year, he was authorized to proclaim it an annual holiday.
I recall a Mothers Day in 1955 that was special to me.
Money was tight, but Mothers Day was coming and I wanted to give Mama a special gift. I was only 8 years old so I had no way of going to the store and I didn’t want to buy something off the “rolling store.” I had one whole dollar to spend and I wanted the most for it. A fellow student’s mother worked in a department store in Ludowici. I discussed my situation with him and he agreed to take my money and have his mother select a lace handkerchief for me. The next morning, Craig Boyd brought a white paper bag to me with the gift inside. His mother had chosen a pretty handkerchief and gift wrapped it in white tissue paper tied with a pink ribbon. It was beautiful!
I had the wrapped gift taken care of, but I still needed something more — flowers.
 Early on Mothers Day, I hurried across the dew covered grass to a clump of bright purple buds about to open. Carefully, I picked each stem and hurried back home. I hid them behind me until I got to my bedroom.
Mama was in the kitchen cooking breakfast for my family of 10. She paid no attention to me as I selected a Peter Pan peanut butter jar to hold the flowers. I waited for her to leave the kitchen so I could place them at her plate. When she went to check on my 2-year-old sister, I put the gift and bouquet beside her plate. I could hardly wait to see the excitement on her face when she saw her gift and opened it.
She kept the lace handkerchief for many years and may still have it. The gift was measly in cost but full of love.
  Every spring, when I see a clump of those purple flowers in bloom, I get a lump in my throat remembering how precious they were to a little girl who needed some flowers for her mama in 1955.  My mother is 89 years old now and I wish her and every mother a happy Mothers Day.
Mamas are special and should be treated that way. They, like the purple flowers, won’t last forever.
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