Today–May 1st–is the start of MEGA May on this blog which celebrates strong women.

This month several readers have sent me stories of women they wanted to honor. Others sent me the names and addresses of women whom they wanted me to send a Mother’s Day postcard.

During this month ONLY there will be messages five days each week. And also this is the ONLY month that I will be holding a drawing for a special gift basket of books from the authors who have posted stories and many of my books and goodies. (The basket is very similar to the one pictured to the right that I’m donating to Brenda Novak’s Diabetes Auction.)

If you sent me a story to post or if you make a comment, you will have your name entered in the drawing. So be sure to make a comment at least once this month!

I hope you will reap blessings from reading the stories of more strong women this month. I’m looking forward to each one.–Lyn

“My Mother is a Strong Woman by Jane S.

My Mother turned 80 years old on New Years Day. She married at 16 to a 35 year old man, my father. He had lost his second wife to cancer. She was friends with his second wife. People said her marriage would not last but it lasted 36 years when my father died. My Mother had a hard life. My Dad had a nervous break-down early in their marriage before us five kids were born. So he worked as a junker to earn a living. He would haul away stuff other people did not want, clean out their sheds, barns, basements, whatever.

Our home was furnished with furniture other people would throw away. He would sort and sell newspapers, aluminum, copper, brass and whatever he could from the stuff others threw away. My Mom could not budget for us when we went to school because they never knew when they would have work and when they would not. However she would separate into envelopes what was needed each month as it came in to pay the telephone, electric, and for coal to heat the house. We had a wood burning cook stove and her and Dad would cut all the wood to heat the house with.

We had a coal stove in the living room. Sometimes when we have ice storms, I think coal and wood would be good because we never missed being warm without electricity. We grew up without inside plumbing. My Mother would have to take the chamber pots out and empty them every morning. She washed our clothes with a wringer wash machine and clothes were hung outside to dry. When it rained they were strung all over the house. She would heat water over a hot fire to wash the clothes in.

As kids we grew up learning how to make the lye soap she washed the clothes in. I have always told my two daughters (one is now 28 and the other is 22) that I knew how to survive because my Mother knew how to not let people walk all over her. She fought to get anything and everything she could to provide for us. My Dad became disabled when he had a stroke at 55 and my Mom had to fight for every dollar of assistance we got. I have had to use a lot of the skills she passed on as I am disabled myself now. I know first hand some of the hardships she endured to provide for us kids.

My daughter yesterday wrote me an email to tell me how she is finally learning how hard it was for me to provide for her the best clothes, food, and such growing up and she truly appreciates it now. My Mother is 80 years old and suffers from dementia. She is starting to have attacks and it saddens my heart to hear of the things my brother has to put up. We are at the point of praying God takes her home so she won’t go downhill anymore. I am 58 years old and I learned how to survive during rough times from my Mother.”

Thank you, Jane S, for sharing your mother’s story. She certainly set an example of devotion for not only you but your daughters and all who have read her story here. Thanks again.