Taking the Fifth - Commandment, that is: "Honor Your Father and Your Mother"
A Tribute to Mother
born in 1912 in Reading, Pa.
("The Titanic went down and Mother came up.")
Thank You, Lord, for giving to me H. Grace Baer Holderman as my Mother. The Word of God says: "…parents are the glory of their children." (Proverbs 17:6b) What a privilege to share that glory with friends everywhere.
All my life I have known that both my parents were well-liked and respected. And they deserve to be. To have a generous, good-natured, and wise mother whose mind is sharp and clear and whose sense of humor is delightful is surely God's gracious gift to me.
Thank you for the endless school lunches (with notes) and picnics for trips you carefully packed. Thank you for the hundreds and hundreds of letters you've written to me for the past 40 years - always including words and articles of interest, motivation and inspiration. Thanks for the ace 'Home-Schooling'!
Curriculum included (but was/is not limited to):
- Courteous Manners & Etiquette
- Proper Grammar & Picturesque Vocabulary
- Food Preparation & Presentation
- Entertaining with Flair
- Sewing & Devising Clothes, Costumes and Props
Thanks for not trading me in on a more disciplined model.
You have shown me and many others what sacrifice and loyalty really look like. Thanks for teaching me to follow through and for the family adage:
"You can never tell how long you spent on a job,
but you can tell if it's done right."
The greatest lesson you've taught me is that it's a gift to bring joy to other people …and that you best honor them when you give of yourself…your heart …the work of your hands.
Without your unfailing encouragement to dance, play the piano, sing, swim, do gymnastics, draw and write…I wonder what, if any of them, I would ever have done.
As a terrified pre-1st grader, I remember your convincing assurance that I would...I really would… be able to learn to read. You gave me an appreciation of ethnic distinctives, the good qualities of Blacks and Jews to be emulated.
"A mother is always as happy as her least happy child." You had to bear (Baer) the black depression of my 'crash-and-burn'. I'm sorry for that. But thank you for not giving up.
I'm glad you love the colors of Green&Blue together. And while the smell of turpentine forever makes me think of Pop, your smells are Pine...and Black Walnut...and Hazelnut...and Orange and Clove!
I'm happy to be able to share you with the world because you're a precious treasure…and if anyone wants to hear a 96+ year-old grande dame say the alphabet backwards or quote the Love Chapter of Corinthians, they will be blessed to hear it from you, LaMa: one who not only speaks it, but lives it.
Love & Thanks Forever, Vin
~ Background/Bio ~
