• Birding with Steve, me, Dave, and Mom. Amish Country. Ray and me at Kitchen Kettle Village.

Steve and I became birders while living in a migration area near the Mississippi River. We only lived there for two years but learned so much about birds. We’ve returned there several times since then, especially in the winter for eagle watches and in springtime to observe the migrators.

My brother Dave brought my mom down to do some birding several times when we lived there. Those are just a few fond memories of times spent with Mom. She died in 2019 from Alzheimer’s, and I think about her a lot, especially around Mother’s Day.

As a mother, I appreciate how hard it must’ve been for my parents to raise eight kids, but it sure was fun for us. There was always someone to play with, and some weekends Mom and Dad took us to the Arboretum, the Old Graue Mill, or to visit our cousins. Vacations didn’t happen every year, but I remember fun times in my early teens at a lakeside cottage of Dad’s work friend.

Steve, our son, Ray, and I just returned from an amazing vacation touring Amish Country with the Down East Boys and the Hyssongs, two Southern Gospel music groups. Pennsylvania was warmer than Northern Illinois, hence no jackets needed. Trees were already green and flowers bloomed. I loved driving by rolling green mountains on the trip there and back as there are several mountain ranges in PA. We had the privilege of experiencing Sight & Sound Theater’s amazing production of the Bible story “Noah” and sharing a meal in an Amish family’s new, roomy barn loft. We toured Amish farmlands and shops, filling our trunk with homemade peanut spread, apple and peach butter, and handmade potholders.

Hershey Chocolate World also helped us fill it with sweet treats I never knew existed, such as Vanilla Kit Kat and Birthday Cake Hershey bars. On the tour, our hearts were filled with memories of new friends we made on the bus each day and at buffet breakfasts and dinners. Ray got a kick out of smorgasbord dining, especially eating ham balls for the first, second, and third times as they were offered at every buffet dinner. None of the people we dined with had ever tasted them either. We liked them, other folks didn’t. Concerts and devotions by the Down East Boys and the Hyssongs entertained and spiritually fed us. Ray bought a bunch of CDs, and we listened to Southern Gospel on the drive home. He’s a new fan.

Thank the Lord for our safe, inspiring trip and for special moments with Steve and Ray. Most of all, what a joy it is to be mom to my son and daughter, stepmom to Steve’s daughter, and Grandma to four grandkids. To all the moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day!