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On a blistering winter day a single mother spends her hard earned dollars to rent a pair of skis so she can watch her daughter rocket down a snowy mountain in a downhill race. The cost of the ski team was already a burden and then there was racing fees. When they arrived at the mountain she found out she wouldn't even be able to watch her daughter compete. It was too far up the mountain to watch from the base. She hated the cold and wind of winter and would have much rather been able to stay in the comfort of the cozy lodge with a cold beer in her hand. The love for her daughter outweighed the need for comfort and she pressed on through the blustery conditions. It was only a few second of watching her baby girl fly by but she cheered the loudest and raved about her awesome style afterwards, even though that girl was no where near the best racer on the hill.
That is my mom. She has always been my best friend. That doesn't mean she didn't raise us with a firm hand. At 4'9" tall and under a hundred pounds she made sure to put the fear of God into us right away but she hardly needed to. Just seeing disappointment in her eyes could shake me to the core.
Although my mom didn't know it, she was one of the best survival instructors a young person could ask for. She was never a woodland woman but she loves to garden and care for plants. She taught me about planting, tending and utilizing the garden goodies. She taught me to can and preserve the fruits of our labor. My mom's creativity abounds and she showed me how to sew and make all kinds of clothing, furniture and anything else you could dream of, although I was never very good at it. But she taught me anyway and encouraged me to keep trying. My mom taught me to stand up for myself and take care of my responsibilities but there is a lesson that I value more than all that.
The biggest survival lesson of all that my mom taught me is that you can do anything you put your mind to. It may mean that your hands get dirty and blistered. It may mean that your body and mind get pushed to the very edge of their limits and sometimes break but you do it anyway. She never shied away from jacking up a barn to reinforce the wall or pounding t-posts for a horse her daughter had to have. Sure it was the middle of a Michigan winter when the ground is frozen solid but that didn't matter mom could do it anyway. My mighty mouse mom gave me heart and that might be the best gift of all.
I love you mom! Happy Mother's Day!
Sara F. Hathaway
Sara F. Hathaway is the author of
the The Changing Earth Series: Day After Disaster and Without Land. She also
hosts The Changing Earth Podcast which blends her fictional stories with
educational survival tips. Sara grew up in the country where she developed a
profound interest in the natural world around her. After graduating with honors
from The California State University of Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science
in Business Administration, she launched into a career in business management. In
her fictional novels her research and experience with survival techniques and
forgotten life-sustaining methods of the generations past come to the forefront
in a action packed adventures. She has used her background in business
management to pave new roads for fictional authors to follow and she delights
in helping other achieve the same success. She currently lives with her husband
and two sons in California where she is at work on the sequel to her first two novels.
For more information and a free copy of “The Go-Bag Essentials” featuring
everything you need to have to leave your home in a disaster visit: www.authorsarafhathaway.com |
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