Mother's Day Thoughts

Yesterday in our church service we were encouraged to think of the first activity we remembered doing with our Moms. I have been thinking about it, and decided that I wanted to share these thoughts with you.

The first thing that popped into my head about working with my mom was the amount of time we spent in the garden. We had a huge plot along the side of a field on the farm that we rented. Mom stayed home with my sister and me when we were young, and a way to help support the family was by gardening. We had SO many different vegetables - tomatoes, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, peppers, corn, peas, green beans, lima beans, butter beans, cauliflower, broccoli, and probably more I don't remember. 

My sister and I helped by snapping and shelling beans and peas and by weeding the garden. I also remember shelling popcorn by rubbing the ears together to pop the kernels off and into the dishpan. When I was little I remember making mud pies in one corner that later became my own garden plot for 4H.
 
Mom processed a lot of what she grew. She canned tomatoes and beans and froze bags of sweet corn. She made dill pickles, which were always my favorite.  It sure was good to have all of that food all year long, but I look back and now realize how much work that garden was for her. I especially appreciate learning this skill from my mom and inheriting hard work from her.  As an adult I also gardened when we lived on the farm and while our business was small. My kids got to enjoy the fruits of our labor like I did. Now my oldest son and his wife have their own home, and they are looking to start a small garden, and my youngest misses eating fresh corn and green beans. Canned and frozen food from the grocery just cannot compare. 
 
One funny thing I remember from this experience was after I got my bath in the evening, my mom would use the same bath water to wash her dirty feet from the garden! We didn't have a shower; just one bath tub.  Today I jump in the shower after working in the yard, but I guess back she just felt the need to wash her feet. Funny how things change. 
 
What memories do you have of your mom this Mother's Day season?