It’s Always Mother’s Day
I was the youngest of three sons of Oliver and Gladys Bruck. We boys were born about five years apart. We mostly had different lives because of the age differences. My dad became an alcoholic at a young age and our family suffered for it. My mom, Gladys, did her best to keep the family together, though there were times when I wished she hadn’t. I grew up in the kitchen of our homes in Hollywood California. It was the safest room in the house next to mom. At a tender age I learned how to cook, wash dishes, bake delicious desserts and wash clothes and and wring them out on a wooden board. Gladys, who we affectionately called “Happy Bottom” worked hard at jobs and made almost all the money in our family. There was hardly ever enough, but somehow she made it work. Thanks mom!
I met a girl in Alaska named Sue, when I was stationed there for the Air Force in the early sixties. We got pregnant in March of 61 and our first child Michael was born on Pearl Harbor day that year. We were dirt poor. I made $163 per month and our rent was $110 for a single wide trailer. That home, located at 333 Concrete Avenue, slid into the Cook Inlet during the great earthquake of 1964. Michael had plenty of milk. We however, survived on a monthly subsistence of a five pound block of Swiss cheese, a pound of butter and a few loaves of white bread. Sue had a challenging early life as well, growing up in a family of ten kids down in Tennessee. When we got together, she did not know how to cook, write a check or drive a car. About the only thing we had in common was that we adored our four children. Sue eventually found a husband who was better for her. She also became an excellent cook, a bank manager and a wonderful mother. Sue worries a lot about her kids. Someone once said that” worry is a prayer for something you don’t want.” However, I think a mother’s worries come from such a deep place of love and caring it helps create wonderful children. Congratulations Sue!
My wife Lou Ann, had only one child, named Kimberley when she was born. She is now known as Uma. She was a challenge when she was in her teens. She is very talented, highly intelligent and very outspoken. When Lou Ann and I got together she was sixteen going on thirty! Uma had two boys, also born five years apart. They are very different in many ways. The three of them lived with Lou Ann and I for several years during the boys early development. Lou Ann is another excellent mother and grandmother. She has had a profound affect on her daughter and her two grandchildren. She does everything possible to help them find their way. She loves them unconditionally and yes, worries for them too! I am in awe of her skills of knowing how to say and do the things that make such a difference in their lives. Another great mom!
You folks who read this blog probably have similar stories about courageous, loving moms who make this Earth the best place possible for the rest of us! Yes, every day is a day to celebrate moms. It’s always Mother’s Day! From my admiring heart to yours, Thomas