Mothers' Day

Mike and I are blessed to have our mothers in our lives.

It seems a bit trivial, doesn’t it? To thank them only once a year. And egotistical to assume that just because we call or drop in occasionally, that suffices to reward them for all they have done.

My mother-in-law, Mary Ann, is a gracious woman who has taught by example, how to be a good mother-in-law. She claims to have learned this from HER mother-in-law. If so, I hope I can display the same wisdom to my future (not yet on the scene) daughter-in-law.



This is one of Mike’s favorite photos. “It was my first airplane ride, “he said. His dad took the tyke out of his mother’s arms and up, up, up into the clouds.

My mom, Evelyn Hayes, has also taught me much. She raised 4 boisterous children, some more challenging that others….myself in that column. Mom likes to say, “When Lynne asked for permission to do something, she wasn’t asking IF she could do something; she was asking if she would be doing it with permission.”

Can you believe THAT?

Mom and her sister Lois graduated from Luther College with degrees in nursing and joined the U.S. Army to see the world. Although she never left Iowa, she DID meet the handsome Captain Hayes who knew a good thing when he saw it. Mom has many talents. I could fill a page. But she is most gifted when she is in nurse mode. Several times, she has served me or my husband in that capacity and displays an intuitive care for her patient.

In her life, she showed her children what long-term commitment meant. She and Dad celebrated 55 years of marriage before his passing.

Since 2000, she has shown us how to navigate widowhood and singleness successfully and in ways that please God. She is vibrant, busy, and loving life.

Two extraordinary women.

Thanks for everything.