My Mother
Last Mothers Day as I sat in church and listened to talks my mind drifted to thoughts of my own sweet mother, Dona Hansen Ison. I’ve never been asked to speak on mother’s Day, but if I had been, this is what I would say.
My Mother never learned to ride a bike, never learned to swim and she couldn't hit the ball with a bat.. When she and Dad were fist married she was afraid to drive into the town of Twin Falls. She parked on the edge of town and walked to shop until she summoned more courage to drive..
She was a wonderful homemaker, who prepared thousands of delicious meals, sewed our clothes, canned fruits and vegetables. She was very resourceful, patient, and supportive of Dad and we girls in our activities. I always thought she came prepackaged and knew how to cook and sew. That's something that all mothers knew how to do.
The second child in a family of nine, she was grandma's right had girl when it came to cooking and cleaning and helping with her younger siblings. Grandma even volunteered her help her Aunts when they had babies. In college she worked as a cook in a lumber camp. There she learned to make coffee and cook in large quantities. She made biscuits every morning, fried eggs and bacon in a great big copper vat, made pies and fourteen loaves of bread every other day and five gallons of doughnuts twice a week. In our home mother insisted and we eat together for breakfast and supper. Sometimes we grabbed a piece of toast on our way to early morning seminary, but she had a breakfast prepared.
Mother took 4-H when she was young and learned some basics, but even grandma wondered if she would ever master sewing. Mother admits she never really learned to sew until she had family. . she sewed our of necessity to save money. .Mother designed some of her own patterns for us and made alterations for her gangly daughters. By the time I came along she had practiced on my two older sisters and I thought sewing her skill automatically came with motherhood. When I came home from school I would always find mother in the kitchen or sewing room.
. When mother married Dad they moved to Idaho to set up house hold. Her trousseau box didn’t arrive for three weeks. Showing her resourcefulness, she and Dad ate off blue cup saucers until the land lady discovered their plight and scolded them for not saying something. She lent some plates to use. Mother said, “We figured we were on our own.”
When My oldest sister got engaged and she and mother planned her reception At this time, mother decided with five more daughters, who would follow suit, she needed to learn some skills that would cut costs. She took cake decorating classes made sheet cakes for our weddings. She twisted ribbons into corsages for the bridesmaids and guests. She learned how to make table centerpieces and helped my sister make her wedding dress.
We lived on a poultry farm and Dad was the Stake President. Mother was assigned the stake distribution of garments which she stored in our front room closets. Our door bell and phone were constantly ringing with customers coming to buy eggs, garments and seek interviews and counsel from Dad. Mother never complained but her day was continually interrupted with a steady stream of people and calls.
I’ll always give mother credit for providing us the opportunity to take piano lessons. Her patience was pronounced as we progressed through the Schaum music books and the next daughter started lessons. She listened to us race, pound, bang out the same songs over and over.
She was very supportive of Dad and his busy schedule and planned meals around his chores and meetings. She supported we daughters by attending our plays, concerts, piano recitals and school graduations. Before the day of cells phones and e-mail. She wrote a steady correspondence with all of us while we were in college and after we were married. While on my mission I could depend on a letter every week.
I believe my love of readings started at mother’s knee as she read to us with expression Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, Grimm’s Brother Fairy tales, Golden Books, and stories from the Childcraft books. She told us her favorite stories, the “Old Iron Kettle and sang songs from her youth, , “I’m Nothing but an Old Rag Doll,” “Twenty Froggies” and “Johnny Was a Sailor” She introduced us to the Book of Mormon by reading Mark E Peterson’s Children’s Book of Mormon stories Illustrated with ink drawings. She listened to us as we learned to read.
I don’t recall seeing mother reading a novel but I remember her reading scriptures and other books to prepare for church lessons. She was too busy to read for pleasure.
True, not an outdoors person or sports person, my mother found her comfort zone within her home and caring for her family. I’ll always be indebted to my mother and what she did for my sisters and I.
