TO MOTHERS AROUND THE WORLD, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Salt Lake City, Utah -- It's a gorgeous Sunday morning in the Rocky Mountain West, especially along the foot of the  majestic Wasatch Mountains.  The weatherman has warned that there's a cold front moving in later today, but for now, Mother Nature has seen it fit to delay his predictions and grant a respite from our  unusually cold Spring.  I'm figuring, if anyone understands how important it is, that this day--Mother's Day--is perfect--it would be Mother Nature right?

Being that it is Mother's Day, I would like to take a moment to pay tribute to the wonderful lady responsible for my insatiable wanderlust--for my drive to persevere even against all odds--and for my desire to seek the good no matter where life leads.  Meet Epifania Reyes Peapealalo, my mother, a grandmother, and great-grandmother.

"Grandma Eppie" is how she likes to be called.  And, honestly, I do know that she loves her grandchildren and great-grandchildren more than anyone or anything in this world.  They are the ones guaranteed to  continually bring a smile to her face.  Like any Grandma, she proudly shares in their accomplishments.  I have one older brother.  Mom doesn't really worry much about the two of us anymore--I guess she figures she's done all she can to impact our lives--and it's time to move on to the next generations.

 Grandma Eppie's Legacy continues...

Speaking of the next generation, it is quite remarkable that this 80-year old "Matriarch" of our family would see her legacy multiply the way it has.  A native of the Philippines, and a naturalized citizen of the United States, Grandma Eppie has had a novel-like journey from her war-torn childhood memories of her tiny Province outside of Manila in the 1940's when it was occupied by the Japanese, to its American liberation when General Douglas MacArthur famously vowed to return--Mom has story after story of how her family of 10 all miraculously survived the ravages of war.

Perhaps, those experiences are the very reasons how my mother was able to meet the challenges of what was to transpire in the '60's and '70's when the U.S. became deeply engaged in another conflict--the Vietnam War.  My father was a highly-decorated,  career Marine.  There was nothing, and I mean nothing, he loved more than serving his country.  Mom learned very quickly how to manage our family on her own as Dad served multiple assignments during the Vietnam conflict.  She learned how to be both father and mother, and career woman to help supplement our family income;  Looking back, Mom never complained about Dad's absence.  She embraced her U.S. citizenship, and shared in Dad's patriotic commitment to "God and Country"--and at that time, it meant fighting in the Vietnam war.  She never spoke of being lonely.  She just focused on keeping our home a place we always looked forward to coming home to each day.  It was the gathering place.  As I entered my teen years, it became the neighborhood hangout--Mom always had something delicious cooking--and the noisy pool parties added a lot of life to our home.  Mom enjoyed the noise.  Maybe that's because it took her mind off the war, and kept loneliness and worry at bay.  

Mom was absolutely serious about education.  Nothing below an "A" grade was tolerated.  When I began to show real interest in geography and history, Mom planned a road trip across the United States, so I could see our nation's historic places first hand.  We drove all over the United States, just my Mom and I, and a little girl that Mom volunteered to care for so that her single Mom could still go to work.  Mom never hesitated to be of help to others--especially foreigners looking to find a way to get a fresh start in America.  Sometimes, I would discover that a family would be living with us for an extended period of time--until the parents would secure employment.  Mom would just say, "these are your cousins!"  Man, I sure had a lot of cousins!  To this day, there are many successful families that continue to sing praises about Grandma Eppie, and how she helped them, when no one else would.

I am so grateful to my Mother for the examples she set, not only for me, but for her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Grandma Eppie gives whole new meaning to the admonition, "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you."  I know there are many mothers out there just like my Mom.  How blessed are we?  I believe the world is a much kinder place because of our mothers!

I am so reminded by the words of Abraham Lincoln who said, "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother."

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY...

With love,

Mel aka ESCAPESEEKER