Thanks MOM! Started: Saturday, October 25, 2003

I’m going to write you a love letter mom, is that ok?

I know this sounds weird, a 58 ¾ son writing a love letter to his 90-year-old mother, but here goes.

Mom, Thanks for giving birth to me. The story has been told that I was in a hurry to be born and haven’t been in a hurry since. Guess that’s true to this day. You see, I’ve been told that I beat to my own drummer and to that I give you the entire credit mom.

Mom, Thanks for accepting me just as I am, the TOTAL package. I know I’ve embarrassed you with all my silliness and nonsense, but that’s just me. So, Thanks Mom for not disowning me.

Thanks for finding me when I wondered off up the Sioux River when I was 4 or so. You could have just been unconcerned like so many mothers now days.

Mom, you’ve been with us Holter kids through thick and thin. There’s been many thin times throughout our growing up.

Mom, you were there when we were poor. I remember you telling me as a young boy that there wouldn’t be much under the tree as Dad had just lost income from farming or something like that.

You said something like "don’t be disappointed" or something like that. Hey, you were mom and that’s all that mattered.

LATER ….

I remember at Christmas time, we’d always do something as a "family."

Thanks Mom for including me as one of the family. I always felt welcome.

Thanks Mom for washing my "blankie." For those of you not in the know, Mom used to wash my favorite blanket. While it was drying, I’ve heard that I used to hold on to the blanket on the clothes line, one thumb in my mouth & one hand on the blanket drying outside.

For those of you not in the know, we were raised on a farm NE of Bruce SD. Dad was a farmer & Mom stayed home with us. We didn’t have a whole lot of money, but then again, nobody did. Mom would wash most all our clothes and hang them on a line outside.

Thanks Mom for making cinnamon rolls for me in grade school!

Mom would tell me before going to grade school that she was planning to bake rolls and have them ready by the time I got out of school.

I remember RUNNING home from school!

Thanks to you Mom & Mrs. Bombeck (my grade school teacher) for allowing me to DREAM.

You see, I’ve always been a dreamer and it would get me in trouble.

There were chores to do, and I was out wondering off somewhere thinking of things to dream about.

I had an imagination back then .. guess I still do.

Thanks for not trying to understand me Mom. You see I’ve been told I have a "dry" sense of humor and it gets me in trouble.

Thanks for directing our lives to Christ MOM!

I know there’s been many a time when I haven’t felt like going to church and you just assumed us kids would go to church. So Thanks for raising us kids to fear and love the Lord.

Thanks mom for making sure we had daily devotions and prayed at every meal. Sal (my beloved wife) and I still try to do our daily devotions.

Thanks mom & dad for LIVING in the Lord and not just going through the motions.

Thanks mom for allowing me to go to LBI back in 1965-66.

Thursday, October 30, 2003

HI Mom

I re-read what I’ve written so far and guess it’s ok.

Mom, on behalf of all your children, I’m sure we’d all like to say "Thanks"

Now I get in trouble, like Adolph. I invite people to come over to other folks homes without first conferring with the folks knowledge. Didn’t DAD used to do that.

For those not in the know, our DAD used to be a silly farmer. My father was my hero and my mother is a saint. Dad would like to take our nephews & nieces and put butter on their toes & laugh & laugh about it.

While Dad was doing his silliness, Mom would be usually doing things that mother’s were suppose to do. So Mom, Thanks for just simply being our mother.

And Mom, Thanks for agreeing to answer all these questions I’ve been asking you from the book, "The Story of a Lifetime."

For those of you not in the know, I’m interviewing Mom with over 500 questions. I’ve agreed NOT to post her answers to our website without her permission.

For those of you not in the know, Sal & I have a Web Address, but you’ll have to ask me during our socializing for the WWW Internet address.

Mom, Thanks for NOT understanding how the Internet works. You see, I’m a computer geek and our mother wants NOTHING to do with what I know as far as computers, Internet, Web Pages, etc.etc. have to offer in this techy world.

Mom, Thanks for being a Republican.

Our father was a Democrat. When Election Day rolled around, their votes cancelled each other out. Dad would probably be rolling over in his grave now if he realized what his party is doing.

My siblings are also divided politically, guess that’s why we all get along, right?

Thanks Mom for discouraging me to take up farming. I remember back in 1963 Dad came up to me and asked me if I wanted to take over farming. I had just got in from chores, frustrated about trying to chop frozen silage in the middle of winter. I looked at our "H" Farmall and decided it was not worth it. There’s got to be a better life than farming.

For those not in the know, our Dad was an accident waiting to happen.

Once, he had me ride the hay rack thingy over the steep ditch in front of our farm house. My job was to trip the rack with my foot when he barked the order. Being 10 years old, I knew then that it was not a safe thing. I held on for dear life. I think Delpha & Leland still have that hay rack in their possession somewhere.

Thanks Mom for letting me buy the old truck, a ’73 Ford ¾ ton. The camper shell has been donated to my Delpha & Leland and I see that it’s finally met its demise by my sister’s grandchildren. I’m only sorry I was not there in the demolition party.

For those not in the know, Sal & I still own the old truck! It’s in front of our house on SW 33^rd ST here in Topeka KS and has been there since 1977 or there about. If you want to see photos of the old truck, just ask me, ok? You can always pull up our website also.

By the Way, our old truck is to be my hearse. I’ve written about it and posted my obituaries on our website.