https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2669337#M11163 <P><STRONG>An Unforgotten Promise</STRONG></P><P>You know those memes that people post about missing their mom – those “gone too soon” and “forever in my heart”?&nbsp; When I read those I don’t think of my mother . . . I think of my grandmother.&nbsp; My grandmother raised us – my 3 siblings and me – and kept us together.&nbsp; She did what my mother could not.&nbsp;</P><P>She was asked to come help out after my oldest brother was born, and she stayed until my youngest sister moved out.&nbsp; Actually, when my sister left she took our grandma with her.&nbsp; As you may have surmised already, my family was not a close knit bunch of loveable people.&nbsp; My mother was a drunk – there’s no easy way to say that.&nbsp; She ran out on us more times than I can count – sometimes for days, sometimes for months at a time.&nbsp; She was the worst kind of drunk – the mean, cruel kind . . . the weepy kind that lashed out and cut others with her words.&nbsp; She wasn’t always a drunk – that started when I was just a little girl barely able to tie my own shoes, and after my sister was born.&nbsp; It came on the heels of a nasty divorce, and my mother went down the rabbit hole, leaving 4 little kids to survive the best they could.&nbsp; And we did survive – because my grandma answered the call for help, we survived.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>It was never supposed to be a permanent arrangement.&nbsp; My mom had called her, crying, needing her mother, and my grandma answered that call in the way most mothers would.&nbsp; She put all her things in storage in her eldest daughter’s basement and traveled a thousand miles to help her youngest child in her time of deep despair and uncertainty.&nbsp; She never imagined her temporary stay would last over 25 years. And because she stayed, she lost all her belongings, as unbeknownst to my grandma, her eldest daughter had slowly sold off all her belongings and treasures.&nbsp; I remember the day we went to retrieve her things from my aunt - and finding nothing left of the life she left behind. I remember the look on my grandma’s face when we left my aunt’s house.&nbsp; Everything she had once possessed was gone, and that meant that my grandma was left with only the few items she had actually brought with her years before – just a small cluster of items that all fit in a one small box that she could carry on the train, and her memories of her past life.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>My grandma shared many of those memories with me over the years.&nbsp; She had a way of telling a story that grabbed your attention and held it there to the very end of the tale.&nbsp; As we grew up my siblings cared less and less about those stories – we each were trying to survive our circumstances and stories didn’t seem all that important to my brothers and sister.&nbsp; They did to me, however, so while my siblings never had time to sit and listen to such tales of a bygone era, I made the time.&nbsp; I listened.&nbsp; It was this detail of my childhood that made me the unofficial keeper of the oral family history.&nbsp; I’ve most likely forgotten more than I remember now, and I had no idea at the time of who exactly I was supposed to pass these stories onto, but I listened nonetheless.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>The world moved on and the stories faded – not because they weren’t great stories, but because life never seems to grant just the right time to retrieve them and tell them to the next generation.&nbsp; This is one of those stories - one that never really had a chance to be retrieved until today . . . and that’s because today I found my grandma’s silverware.</P><P>Remember that small box that held my grandma’s few belongings that she carried onto the train?&nbsp; In that box was the silverware her mother, Carolina, had given her when she married in 1922.&nbsp; Carolina had gotten the silverware from her mother.&nbsp; It was a full set of Roger Brother’s 1847 silverware, the old colony pattern. Years earlier, my mother had moved away and had gotten married in a civil ceremony.&nbsp; She never had the chance to pass on her silverware to her own daughter. For my grandmother, this trip to be with her daughter was her chance to do just that - pass on her mother’s silverware, in the tradition started by her own mother.&nbsp; I never knew any of this about our daily silverware growing up.&nbsp; For my siblings and me it was just silverware – it was kept in the silverware drawer and used daily.&nbsp;</P><P>Time marched on.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I had been on my own for many years when I got the call from my grandma that my mom had thrown out the silverware.&nbsp; From what I could make out, between the sobs and heavy sighs, was that a fight had erupted and to punish my grandmother for arguing, my mother took the silverware and threw it all in the trash can in front of her.&nbsp; She threatened her not to remove it – it was trash . . . she was tired of having that old stuff – and she would not allow my grandma to retrieve it.&nbsp; She warned her . . .</P><P>I was in my early twenties and lived about 20 miles away.&nbsp; My grandmother, still living with my mother in order to protect my still underage sister, was beside herself.&nbsp; My sister wasn’t home.&nbsp; My grandma was in her 80s, mostly blind and partially crippled, and was shaken and in tears.&nbsp; I had never known that woman to cry.&nbsp; She had always been a strong, fierce woman – possessing a courage that only women who have fought their entire lives have.&nbsp; That woman never cried – not that any of us ever saw, anyway.&nbsp; She never showed weakness.&nbsp; She had stood up to danger more times in her life than could be counted – including the danger her own daughter displayed that day.&nbsp; She was the fiercest woman I had ever known.&nbsp; Now I heard her voice on the phone – I heard the despair and the pain. &nbsp;She was too old and frail now to stand up to her daughter as she had in the past . . . and my mother knew it.&nbsp; I raced over to the house, not knowing what fresh hell I would be walking into, but prepared to do whatever I needed to . . . calling on a courage that is only seen in women who have fought their entire lives – a courage my grandma would truly recognize.</P><P>When I arrived, my mother was in her bedroom and her door was closed.&nbsp; My grandmother was in her own bedroom, sitting hunched over on the side of her bed, her huge hands trembling. My heart broke seeing her that way. This was not something I had ever witnessed – my grandma had been crying.&nbsp; I went immediately to the kitchen, and as quietly as I could, dumped the trash on the floor. &nbsp;As I lifted the waste basket I could see a silver handle here and a rounded spoon end there, and got busy pulling them free from the real trash. I hurried.&nbsp; As I found each piece I tossed it into a paper grocery bag.&nbsp; I did this quickly. I did this quietly.&nbsp; I then cleaned up my mess, put the waste can back where it was, and then smuggled the stolen treasure down the hall, past my mother’s room, and into the sanctuary of my grandma’s room. &nbsp;Make no mistake – I did smuggle it – I actually held my breath as I tiptoed past my mother’s bedroom, lest she hear me and all hell break loose.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I sat on the bed and opened the bag to show her – the silverware lay in a jumbled pile in the bottom.&nbsp; She couldn’t see them very well but she heard the jangle of metal on metal and I could see her shoulders relax.&nbsp; She wouldn’t take the bag from me.&nbsp; Instead she had me open one of her drawers and retrieve a few items…. A blue decorative bottle, a few ceramic figurines, and a small pile of papers tied with a ribbon… her beloved possessions of a past life – the scraps of history – family history – that once fit in a box that was carried onto a train.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I sat with her only a short while afterward, keeping an ear toward the door listening for sounds of movements from down the hall.&nbsp; I listened intently as she told me a short tale about each item and then hurriedly sent me on my way. She too, feared the beast would awake before I could make my escape. But I did escape . . . and my mother never knew I had rescued the silverware.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>As I drove home that day I ran each tale through my mind, wanting so desperately to remember every word – and course I didn’t… I remember the big things and overall tales, but not the wonderful details she had given me - those were clouded by the stress of the day.&nbsp; And I thought about what she had asked of me as I sat on that old worn out mattress, she made me promise to pass that silverware down to my first-born child.&nbsp; I didn’t have any children . . . yet.&nbsp; I promised her I would.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>So, that’s the backstory.&nbsp; My grandma passed away in 1983.&nbsp; My first born – a beautiful son – was born just 2 months before she died.&nbsp; She was almost completely blind by then, only able to distinguish light from dark. And yet, when I placed my newborn son in her arms she looked down at his face and exclaimed he was the most beautiful child she had ever seen.&nbsp;&nbsp; She died a short time later and I scattered her ashes on her husband’s grave – it was my 24th birthday.&nbsp;</P><P>Life moved on as life always does, and the silverware was put away – it had come to be a treasure and not just eating utensils, and regardless of the number of moves or the events of my life, I always knew that one day I would pass that silverware onto my first-born child.&nbsp; Unfortunately, when we moved the last time in 2006, I had packed quickly and not as organized as I usually would.&nbsp; We were on a deadline to get back to Virginia from Arizona and packing was chaotic.&nbsp; For decades I had always known where the silverware was – but after we moved back to Virginia, I couldn’t find it and feared the worst – had I somehow lost it?&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>It was now September of 2020 and I had looked for that silverware for 14 years and 2 months.&nbsp; On this day in 2020, I found it.&nbsp; Years of looking and looking and digging through all the storage boxes to no avail had taken its toll on me. I had 14 years of wondering, “Where did it go?” &nbsp;&nbsp;My oldest son has a home of his own now - and it was time to pass it on, so where the hell was it?&nbsp; Years of digging and depression at not finding it – years of wondering if I would be able to keep that promise I made to my grandma almost 40 years ago . . . The disappearance of the silverware has haunted me.</P><P>Then one day, in September of 202, I felt the need to dig again – and headed down to the shop on our property that we used for storage.&nbsp; A building filled from floor to ceiling of past adventures and memories and trash – a hodgepodge of crap needing sorting and eliminating.&nbsp; I had a need to look . . . My husband, Tom, decided to go with me to help.&nbsp; We started in a back room and looked through numerous boxes, then went to another room and searched some more.&nbsp; We were in the front room, carefully squeezing through mountains of boxes, shifting them around, opening them up one by one, and not finding the much sought after treasure. &nbsp;I glanced downward and noticed a box at Tom’s feet – a plastic box.&nbsp; I only put important things in plastic boxes . . . &nbsp;Tom was standing in a corner surrounded by boxes on three sides.&nbsp; I asked him if he could get to the plastic one on the floor by his feet.&nbsp; He moved the large boxes off of it and open the cover.&nbsp; There amongst old papers was a blue-felt box. OMG!&nbsp; Could it be?&nbsp; Tom lifted the out the blue felt box smiling. I recognized it immediately – I knew he held that treasure I had been in search of and I snatched it immediately from him and pulled it into my chest, hugging it as the tears started streaming down my face.&nbsp; I cried for my grandma.&nbsp; I cried for my promise.&nbsp; I cried tears of sadness and gratefulness, and joy, and pain.&nbsp; I could barely catch my breath.&nbsp; It hit me hard and without warning – 14 years of worry, of remorse and guilt for having lost such a precious item – it all came pouring forth.&nbsp; I looked up – Tom was still smiling, his hand raised for a high-five that I had left hanging there . . . he waited patiently for me to return that high-five.&nbsp; I finally did.</P><P>My grandma’s silverware.&nbsp; Passed on from generation to generation.&nbsp; I would not be the one to break that chain after all. There was an overwhelming peace that came with that realization. Of course, it was not a full set – some pieces were lost growing up to simple things like making mud pies as a child, and some pieces were missing because one of my brothers pawned a few for money to buy drugs, but I had every piece that had been thrown in the trash that awful day so very long ago.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I don’t have much to pass on to my children that has any meaningful family history – just a few small items and some old silverware.&nbsp; Items that once fit in a small box, carried on a train by a woman who once answered the call for help.&nbsp; A woman whose courage I admired greatly.&nbsp; A woman who gave up her entire life in order that my siblings and I might survive the chaotic and cruel world of our childhood.&nbsp; A woman who lived long enough to know that her one remaining possession in this world that held any value to her would be passed on to another generation, 37 years later, through her oldest grand-daughter, and that I would tell the story to my oldest son.</P><P>My grandma had a way of telling a story that grabbed your attention and held it there to the very end of the tale.&nbsp; I hope I have made her proud in the telling of my own story – albeit, a continuation of hers – but one that also began with a call for help.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>My grandma.&nbsp; She truly is “forever in my heart”.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Liz Becker&nbsp;</P> Wed, 06 May 2026 01:44:48 GMT ElizabethB846042 2026-05-06T01:44:48Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2666527#M10572 <P><STRONG>Mother's Day</STRONG> is all about love, laughter... and the moments that make moms so special!</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>Share your Mother's Day tribute by hitting reply to this post - it can be funny, heartfelt or totally unique! Whether it's a funny memory, a simple thank you, or a life lesson she shared - we want to hear about it!&nbsp;</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>Not only will you spread some joy, but you will also have a chance to win a special reward, because great stories deserve great prizes!</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>Need inspiration? Try one of these prompts to get you started!</P> <UL> <LI>The moment my mom totally saved the day for me...</LI> <LI>If my mom had a superpower, it would be...</LI> <LI>Something my mom/inspiring woman in my life told me was...</LI> </UL> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>No purchase necessary to win!&nbsp; Be sure your entry is your own original story!&nbsp; Keep it kind, respectful and fun! Check out the official rules here:&nbsp;<A href="https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-REWARDS-MOTHER-S-DAY-CONTEST-2026-OFFICIAL-RULES/td-p/2666516/" target="_self">View Contest Rules</A></P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>Play our new <A href="https://games.aarp.org/games/mothers-day-mahjong-solitaire?intcmp=GC-OC-MDCONTEST" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mother's Day Mahjong Solitaire Game</A>!</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>We also have Mother's Day egreeting cards in Rewards, you can view them&nbsp;<A href="https://www.aarp.org/rewards/redeem/egreeting-cards/mothersday/#cards1?intcmp=GC-OC-MDCONTEST" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</A>&nbsp;</P> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:37:37 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2666527#M10572 AARPTeri 2026-04-22T15:37:37Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667166#M10829 <P>I could write a book, about the treasure of a woman, my Mom, is.&nbsp; She is now 102 years old, and some of my siblings and I are caring for her full time at home.&nbsp; Mom is a blessing beyond measure, to so many. She raised a family of 10 children, losing my precious Dad (heart attack) in his early 50's. She is my best friend, was my matron of honor in my wedding, and continues to be so very precious to me. Matriarch of our family; raised a large family and supported my Dad in running our family farm; was a help and a willing resource to young moms; loving, generous and thoughtful to neighbors, church members, friends, family, community folks, teachers, and anyone who needed help or encouragement in any way. Mom was actively involved in supporting school activities, many key positions in our home church (including being the first woman as an Elder!), Mother's Club, local community groups, etc etc etc. Mom taught by her example and her direction, how to can, freeze, dehydrate, sew, repair, upholster, parent, cook, bake, clean, garden, love and nurture all living things. I learned about faith in God, as a wee little girl, from my Mom. As one of my brothers have said, Mom is the original Pioneer Woman. I am so fortunate to confidently say, I have the best Mom in the world.&nbsp; May every soul be able to feel this way, too.</P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:12:21 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667166#M10829 b598259l 2026-04-21T16:12:21Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667169#M10830 <P><SPAN>&nbsp;If my mom had a superpower, it would be a moral compass—always pointing me toward the right thing, even when I thought I could sneak around it and go undetected. Under the radar, if you know what I mean.&nbsp;</SPAN></P><P><SPAN>Case in point: when I was six, I pocketed a tip off the restaurant table, thinking no one noticed. Big mistake. Super Mom somehow knew. Instead of going home, she turned the car around and drove us straight back to the restaurant, where I had to hand the money to the waitress. Embarrassing, yes—but that guilt stuck harder than any scolding. She taught me that honesty feels lighter than guilt. </SPAN></P><P><SPAN>That lesson followed me into adulthood. Even today, small white lies feel impossible. Just last year, at age 65, I told my exercise trainer I had done something I hadn’t—and the burden of that fib made me confess within minutes. Mom’s moral compass had imprinted itself so deeply that I can’t even bend the truth without coming clean.</SPAN></P><P><SPAN>Her superpower was patient, loving, and remarkably sticky. The lessons she taught didn’t just guide me—they stuck, shaping how I live my life every single day. Thanks, Mom.&nbsp;</SPAN></P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:39:46 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667169#M10830 AntonietteW254504 2026-04-21T16:39:46Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667171#M10831 <P>Loved your post&nbsp;<a href="https://community.aarp.org/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/33968344">@AntonietteW254504</a>&nbsp;, made me smile. &nbsp;</P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:43:08 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667171#M10831 SereneSeagull 2026-04-21T16:43:08Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667172#M10832 <P>What a beautiful tribute&nbsp;<a href="https://community.aarp.org/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/14518807">@b598259l</a>, I enjoyed reading about her! &nbsp;How wonderful to have a life so full, for so long.</P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:45:56 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667172#M10832 SereneSeagull 2026-04-21T16:45:56Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667174#M10833 <P>If my mom had a super power it would be super hearing. She always knew when we were talking about anything. She always knew our dubious plans before we tried to carry it out. And she'd warn us not to do it or we'd be punished. We never knew how she did it until we were much older and she told us she could hear everything thru the vents in our old house.&nbsp;</P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:10:18 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667174#M10833 sr41192128 2026-04-21T17:10:18Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667175#M10834 <P>My mother always said she had a third eye in the back of her head and could see everything! &nbsp;Sounds like the Moms had a secret they all shared among one another, didn’t it?! &nbsp;Great post&nbsp;<a href="https://community.aarp.org/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/8798662">@sr41192128</a>&nbsp;</P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:14:08 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667175#M10834 SereneSeagull 2026-04-21T17:14:08Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667176#M10835 <P>My Mother died way too young. She was 66 years old. Her last thoughts were of her grandchildren. They received Easter cards from her in the mail 2 days after she died. I have kept those cards a a reminder of how she showed her love for us even after her death.</P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:14:40 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667176#M10835 JamieL573468 2026-04-21T17:14:40Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667198#M10836 <P>My Mother passed at 65. You think grief goes away but everyone is different in dealing with grief. My Mother had 5 children, I was the middle child. But acted like the oldest. I had to take full responsibility after she passed. My Mom was very strong. My Father had bipolar and didn’t work much. So my Mother took on responsibilities to take care of the household. I see now at 66 years old, that I am more like my Mother than my father. I love and miss her daily <span class="lia-unicode-emoji" title=":heart_suit:">♥️</span></P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:27:19 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667198#M10836 RosanneB390199 2026-04-21T19:27:19Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667200#M10837 <P>My Mother told me that if I would go to Truck-driving school and get my CDL, then I could go to work with my husband as a team over-the-road and she along with my Mother-in-law would watch the kids. I took her up on her offer and for 15 years, my husband and I drove over the road as a part time team.</P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:41:04 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667200#M10837 PatriciaN604829 2026-04-21T19:41:04Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667206#M10838 <P>My beautiful mom passed away six years ago. I think of her everyday in the stillness of the night, the rustling of leaves and the beauty of my rose garden . She taught me that love never goes away but rather a feeling that is in your heart forever. She once told me that when ever I see a butterfly it would be her reminding me that her love is all around me. So you see, I am always reminded of her beautiful and kind heart. Let the butterflies fly!!!</P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:59:58 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667206#M10838 RosanaR823422 2026-04-21T19:59:58Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667229#M10839 <P>I love my mama! She passed away 32 years ago she always met me at the door with a smile.&nbsp;</P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:33:24 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667229#M10839 cleopatrabadd 2026-04-21T21:33:24Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667241#M10840 <P>If my mom had a superpower, it would’ve been her loving heart. My mom never knew a stranger, and she was always there to lend a helping hand, no matter who or what the situation was. I like to think that I take after her <span class="lia-unicode-emoji" title=":slightly_smiling_face:">🙂</span> she was a very kind, loving person and I never once saw her Cross with anyone. I miss her dearly. She passed in 2010 and I miss her every day. She was a wonderful person! The world was a better place when she was in it!</P> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 23:35:26 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667241#M10840 lecuyerl 2026-04-21T23:35:26Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667249#M10841 <P>My mom, there is so much to say.&nbsp; The memories go back when I was growing up and my mom went thru so many tragedies, such as losing our house to a fire a week before Christmas, my sister age 5 falling into a tub of boiling water with terrible burns on Christmas day, seeing my older brother lose one eye by falling on a plank with a nail, when the house was being built.&nbsp; Seeing my other brother under him lose both his eyes in crazy accidents (One at the School for the blind in swimming.) Seeing her twin brother die when they were 13 years old and ended up with Cancer in her older age.&nbsp; She always smiled and read her bible everyday.&nbsp; She had 8 kids and she loved us all with tender care.&nbsp; When she was in the hospital dying, she was asking the nurses and doctors what could she do for them.&nbsp; She was an Angel on earth.&nbsp; One time I was in college with no money and she worked in a sewing factory and found $20 in some pants and sent it to me to buy food...all the pain that she suffered and there were more tragedies, like losing her first grand child at 5 years old who fell off a porch right after they dropped her off at home...My momma, what can I say, except she was an Angel on earth and she made me the woman that I am today...Thank you momma.&nbsp; Thank you.</P> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:31:44 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667249#M10841 bookgqueen21 2026-04-22T00:31:44Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667254#M10842 <P>They are flying around you. &nbsp;Beautifully written</P> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 01:13:02 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667254#M10842 SereneSeagull 2026-04-22T01:13:02Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667266#M10843 <P>So my mothers superpower would have been making a meal out of a little of nothing in the cubbards....no matter what was in the cubbards she could make it 5 Star awesome meal. She had a nack for making things go a long ways and so much love was put into it ,even it was a peanut butter sandwich....sure miss her and the love she had in her heart!</P> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 01:44:02 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667266#M10843 MitziW617158 2026-04-22T01:44:02Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667285#M10844 <P>If my mom had a superpower, it would be biscuit making. She made the best buttermilk biscuits from scratch every morning. She must have made a million of them in her lifetime for me and my 6 siblings.&nbsp;</P> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 08:57:21 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667285#M10844 caro1g 2026-04-22T08:57:21Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667292#M10845 <P>My mom was an identical twin that outlived her ENTIRE family!! She was a beautiful red head mom of 7 who had 91 years on this earth! My mom had perseverance and love of many things. She became a caring nurse in her 40’s while taking care of her family. Her passions were art and loving the Lord. My life was better for her having been my mom. Mother’s Day feels differently with her gone but memories never fade and I keep them close. My advice is smother those moms with love and hugs while you can!!&nbsp;</P> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:22:05 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667292#M10845 CarmelitaB19189 2026-04-22T11:22:05Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667293#M10846 <P><STRONG>I don't have pleasant memories of my mother but as a mom, my favorite Mother’s Day with my daughters was several years ago when they were both in college. When they were little I took them to our local Zoo a lot and we enjoyed it very much. So they decided to take me to the Zoo like when they were little, and we did all the little recorded zoo facts like when they were little, We started with the animals I wanted to see, they bought me the fun zoo animal shaped cup during lunch at the zoo cafe, and something from the gift shop. It was a reverse of when I took them, and they treated me for the day. We had so much fun and shared so many memories of when they were young. It was a day I’ll remember forever. Sharing a fun day with your adult children is like the pot of gold at the end of raising children.&nbsp;</STRONG></P> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:35:58 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667293#M10846 HeatherS13 2026-04-22T19:35:58Z https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667305#M10847 <P>My mom was always ahead of her time and fought so hard for her achievements and for other women.&nbsp; Mom knew at an early age that she wanted to be a nurse. Mom was awarded a prize from a local women's club of $25 when she graduated from high school in 1938. Mom applied to many nursing schools in the area and was accepted to the Jewish Hospital Nursing School in Louisville, KY. This was a nursing school that required the nursing students to work at the hospital and live on the premises of the hospital during training. Mom graduated from training in 1941 but by that time the United States had entered WWII.&nbsp; There was a severe shortage of nurses for the war and the federal government threatened to draft nurses for service. The American Red Cross recruited nurses for service. Mom answered the call and enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps.&nbsp; Mom actually missed her graduation ceremony and her own mother attended to accept her Nursing Cap, mom was already in the Nurse Corps basic training on that date. Mom's first duty station was at Ft. Knox, KY in the psychiatric ward.&nbsp; Mom knew she didn't enlist to sit in her own backyard so when the overseas roster was posted, she volunteered for duty.&nbsp; Mom was accepted for overseas duty and shipped out on the Queen Mary (which had been outfitted as a troop carrier in WWII because it was fast enough in the water to travel without escort) to England.&nbsp; Mom later served in France, landing on Normandy Beach 4 months after D-Day. Mom always told us of all the devastation around her and of living in tents the entire time she was in France. Mom's unit finally made it to Carentan, France and they were preparing our wounded for medical transport by ship back to the U.S.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Mom finally earned her points in the overseas theater and returned to the U.S. as a 1LT in 1944 as her unit was being merged with 66th General Hospital in Germany.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Mom was so proud of her service and later joined VFW and American Legion when they finally accepted women veterans as full members (they normally restricted women veterans to Auxiliary membership). Mom also was a member of the Womens' Overseas Service League (WOSL). Mom became a Charter Member of the WIMSA Memorial at Arlington Cemetery and attended the Dedication Ceremony. Mom was also proud to be able to take an Honor Flight at the age of 90 to finally see the WWII memorial in Washington DC (her last trip).&nbsp;&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Mom passed away in 2017 at 93 and was buried with Military honors and her beloved Red Cross Nurses pin that had been engraved with her name and service number. (The Red Cross Nurses pin has a history that you are either buried with the pin or it is to be returned to the National Red Cross.)</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:04:19 GMT https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Mother-s-Day-Contest-2026/m-p/2667305#M10847 GAKKIEZ 2026-04-22T13:04:19Z