Lessons Etched in Memory
Mother’s Echoes
Mother gave me my most profound example, tangible thoughts.
She taught me lines looped into shapes, magically transforming them into words. Mother taught me the tri-fold grip and placed a pencil between my little fingers. At the dining table, she instilled penmanship in me.
There, I often heard her say, ‘Willynn, one day your words will serve you greatly, but they’ll be useless if you can’t read them.’
Mother exhibited my utmost tool, curiosity.
She shared with me endless lessons of thinking before complying.
She guided me to questions before submission.
She taught me to listen before responding.
Mother imparted the quiet force of silence and waiting.
Though Mother had a quiet voice, her meekness wielded significant force.
She communicated freely through actions.
Her lessons were conveyed through observations.
Her thoughts remained reserved for her alone.
I, her daughter, only glimpsed them when I witnessed the deep furrow of her intense concentration. I watched words written between pages liberate her soul from the constraints of her world.
Mother provided my most profound example…
Mother gave me hope.
Hope still stands tall between the trifold grip of my pen as I write about my mother today.
Willynn S. Thompson
Life*Lines
8.24.23
