Memorial: My Mother and Other Mother

I started this post this past Memorial Day and never finished writing it. I thought it was high time I finished it and got it out of my "drafts" list.

It's the day after Memorial Day Weekend 2009 and what a weekend it was! Jon and I both worked hard on the farm mowing grass, planning, tilling, buying seeds, plants & a couple of my favorite "bush" variety rose bushes. We spent hours digging, planting, weeding etc. We did wind down early in the evenings to enjoy the meat smoked in the smoker and whatever else we fixed to round out our meals...corn on the cob was not from around here but it was still excellent and one of the highlights of the meals for me! The place looks great and sitting on the porch in the evenings is such a treat. Looking around at all that we've been blessed with is really a humbling experience but one we're both thankful to have. God is good.


Although hard but pleasurable work on the farm is how we spent the majority of the hours of the long weekend, we also took some time to ponder the meaning of the holiday. Remembering the sacrifices that Soldiers & their families make and have made in the past that have made our freedom in this country possible. Sacrifices that many people of this world are not willig to make or could not fathom making. Selflessly, putting themselves in harms way if needed is a trait, maybe a state of heart, that not all men & women posses. I applaud all of the Teachers, EMT workers, Firefighters, Soldiers, Moms, etc. that every day do jobs that not everyone can do. Some are cut out for their work...some just do what they need to do to get by, to pay the bills, nothing more. Then, you have those that are willing to give their lives for people they don't even know. Others willing to work long, hard, thankless hours to care for, save, teach, & nurture into members of this society that will hopefully, someday grow up to be one of those selfless people of sacrifice.


Two very special people that had a HUGE impact on my life that I also wanted to mention and remember this Memorial Day was my mother and my other mother. Today was the very first time I've had the opportunity to visit a gravesite of anyone I've known and lost. My mother is buried in Freeport, Maine and I haven't been back there since she passed away in January of 2000. But my other mother, Karen Sue Guyer is buried here in Kansas City. These two ladies combined, have molded me into the person that I am today. We met Karen and her husband Wally at church when we first started attending a church in Parkville, not long after we moved to Missouri. When my mom died, I wasn't sure if I could ever be happy again. I was lost without my mom. Besides Jon, she was the first person I thought of to call when I had news to share or if I was excited or happy or sad about something. She loved getting my letters and phone calls and always let me know how much she loved me and my little family and how proud she was of me and what I had been doing with my life. Karen, being the woman that she was, slowly but perfectly began filling that void in my soul that I felt when I lost my mom. Not only did she have a genuine interest and love for me and my family, but her husband Wally, did too! We grew closer and closer to Karen & Wally over the months and years that passed. Their kids were our age and eventually got used to the idea that the Turner's would be at the house for holidays, just like family. Like my mom, Karen was a wonderful cook and loved to entertain so there were many, many opportunities to hang out at Karen & Wally's. They were always hosting something or somebody in their home & always had a crowd. Good times.

In October 2002, Karen was diagnosed with breast cancer. She fought it for a little over a year before the Lord took her home. Mom & Karen, you ladies are my heroes!

Until next time...