Charles and Dorothy Branyon Mauldin in their beginning years.

So here’s to the little things:

Like having Kool-Aid ice cubes in a plastic glass on the back porch doorsteps when it’s hot outside and you are already sticky and dirty – what a treat!

I am 4 and Vickie is 3 years old.

Like having a breakfast every morning before you went to school – even if those “every” mornings were dark and early because you rode the school bus everyday since your family only had one car and your dad needed it to work his swing shifts at the mill.

Mother’s Day with her baby boy :)

Like the memory of laying out in the church pew (The hard wooden kind. The ones now being used in the church gym.) with my head on Mama’s soft church dress, and her garden hands steadily stroking my head as I fell asleep during the preaching hour.

Like having the “home-work first” rule (before you could go outside to play).

Grandmother with “first” grandson Jonathan.

Grandmother with “first” granddaughter, Rebekah.

I also remember how my sister, cousin Johnny, and I were playing under the big shade tree at home when a couple of older teenagers came up and stole our toys away. We were 6 and 5 years old. My mama heard our cries to her, came out, investigated, and proceeded to run down those boys on foot and retrieved all our toys. I thought that was grand then (and still do considering she was only about 26 herself at that time). My mama is brave :)

Grandchildren are grand!

After Jerry and I had children of our own, we learned we had to “feel Mama out” when it came to asking her to baby sit.   She never said no. Not ever.

We had to investigate for ourselves what her true plans really where before asking. And this is AFTER she babysat our children and many others during the day for her at home job.

Papa and Grandmother with Rebekah when she graduated Clemson.

Grandparents with Jonathan and Lindsey when they purchased their first home.

Grandmother Dot “always” had diapers during the day for them …. seems like that diaper bag just never ran out at her house.

Just another way to help us financially without giving us a hand-out.

With all the grandchildren.

Another strange thing is that my children “never” did a “first” at Grandmother’s.   They rolled over, sat up, held their own bottle, poked out their first tooth, crawled, stood, said first words, and walked – all for the “first” time at our house. Looking back, this is a very doubtful combination of events; but, as a young working mother, the memories of “being there” for all those “firsts” is irreplaceable…just another example of the giving, thoughtful, unselfish little things that my mama is so routine at.

Emery is the first great-grandchild…..what a treasure.

So all mamas today, take encouragement. Sometimes life seems mundane and thankless, the chores are never-ending, the house is never clean, the clothes baskets are never empty, the meal prep and clean-up gets overwhelming, and homework and projects (let’s not go there)!….but it’s the little acts of love and sacrifice that you pour into your family minute by minute – acts that no one could afford if they had to employ an individual to perform them – these little things and little moments add up to BIG and life-long memories. Hugs to you today!

And thank you Mama, for all the years of little things.

Dot and Charles in their golden years . . . still enjoying blessings everyday.