My mama raised me to
Wash my face and brush my teeth before you eat
Have breakfast before the bus comes or figure out how to take it on the bus – yes, even pancakes
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Say blessing and recite a memory verse before you eat
And don’t repeat the same one each day
And don’t say the same one your brother or sister just said
And definitely don’t say Jesus wept each time.
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Cook cornbread from a black cast-iron skillet
Mash homemade butter into molasses until it was golden brown and sop it with homemade biscuits
Pour fresh cow milk through a cloth to catch dirt and if a fly is sitting on top of the cloth, don’t worry, it will still make the best homemade butter, cream, and buttermilk
Watch for the bubbling broth in the pot to know when and where to plop the dough for dumplings
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Eat mush made from cornmeal but disguised as grits, potato patties made from leftover mashed potatoes
Be surprised when you open a plastic container in the frig because it was most likely leftovers – not butter
Despise soup day if it was your turn to wash dishes because you knew it was made from leftovers sealed in every single one of those plastics containers
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Understand the significance of the anatomy of the dogwood tree
The four petals form the shape of His cross
The dark edging – His blood
The raised center – His crown.
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Pick wild blackberries and poke salad
Hang clothes on the line in freezing temps, bringing stiff pants inside that could nearly stand on their own
Thread a needle and sew on a button, fix a hem, and “take in” pants or a skirt
Make your bed and pull back the spread just right so you can have enough spread to flip over the pillows and tuck it under
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Look forward to our church’s Christmas gift of a brown paper bag filled with fruit, nuts, and hard candy
Say thank you with a happy face if Miss Ella draws your name and gives you a bag of rags
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Make a proper picnic lunch with fried chicken and potato salad and watermelon
Put a cloth on the picnic table at Lakeside Park and share food with the cousins
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Learn poems like Two Monkeys were Sitting in a Coconut Tree
And songs like the one about a little girl named Kathy who fell in a well
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Like or lump it when it came to listening to Marilyn Hickey on the radio in her car on the way to work and don’t talk back because her hand was swift
Like it or lump it when it came to watching television because it was going to be Jimmy Swaggart and Billy Graham on Sunday, and Lawrence Welk, Hee Haw, and Mutual of Omaha on the weekends, maybe wrestling and roller derby if Papaw was visiting
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Love all people
Not make fun of those who have less than you do
Never mention the fact that they are wearing the clothes that you gave them.
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Keep your legs closed
Do well in school and go to college if you want to
Raise a family and be faithful
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Love God
Serve in the church as delegate, usher, devotion leader, or choir member or all four if needed
Set up the church Christmas performance in the basement – complete with stage and curtain threaded on a rope
Learn speeches for Easter, Mother’s Day, and Christmas
Stand in front of people and speak talk with your head up
That’s how my mama raised me.
My mama raised me to
Accept Jesus at a young age
Read the Bible
Pray on bended knees beside your bed
That’s how my mama raised me.
Thank you for raising me well, mama.
May 2020
