The gift

The Gift

Who can say where the road goes
where the day flows- only time
And who can say if your love grows
as your heart shows- only time
Who can say why your heart sighs
as your love flies - only time
And who can say why your heart cries
when your love lies- only time

...I heard once in a movie, that when you lose family, you find family. That is their gift to us...My mom shares part of that Gift here...-A.Murillo

This is a note about the rock on which I stood for 65 years, my mom, Ethel Louise Richards Brooks.

There just are not enough words to say about my mom; she was not just my mother she was my best friend. Mom had the love of her life for a little over 16 years, when he was killed in a car accident, leaving her with 6 children to raise from ages 16 to 6 years old, 3 boys and 3 girls. Mom and Dad always worked but at this time in her life, she was working for a candy factory. She was there for as long as I can remember and I could not have been more then 3 or 4 years old.

Mom was about 40 years old; a very young woman when Dad died yet, the only thing my mom lived for were her children. She decided to work and raise her children alone and that is what she did. She would walk to work six days a week no matter how cold or hot it was. I saw mom many times have only a bread and butter sandwich to eat for lunch and work all day. At that time she was only making .50 cents an hour. From the $4.00 for 8 hours, she would pay rent, lights, gas, food and coal to keep us warm in the winter months.

I do not know how she did it, but I know she did, and she kept all her children together always. I could go on and on about this living saint and that is just what she was a saint.

Many times after I was married and had my own family, I would ask my mom "Why didn't you marry again?" She would answer me and say, "There is no one that could take your Dad's place, I already married the best man I could, and that she would not have any other man telling his kids what to do!"

My mom, told the day that she died at the age of 95 years old she never stop loving my Dad and she was without him for over 51 years of her life.

The happiest memories of my Mom were when we would get together on holidays and she would cook so many delicious things. A special memory of mom is how we used to wait for her to walk down that dirt road from working all day and we all knew she had candy for us everyday. I have many memories of mom, but one that really made me laugh was when my husband would tease her and my mom would tell him, "You better not go outside Louis, the squirrels will get you, YOU BIG NUT!" She would laugh and laugh.

The only thing that keeps me going now is knowing my mom is happier then ever in her true love�s arms, Sailor. I know she is happy and I know my father is too, because if any two people in this world truly loved each other it was Ethel and Dave. For me to say how much my precious Mother means to me there are not enough words.

I believe I can speak for my Brothers and Sisters that she lived and gave her life for her husband and children Helen, Bill, Laura, Gay, Betty, Dick, and Shirley.
She was our Rock and our best friend! It�s been 7 years since you been gone and we miss you very much, but we know in our hearts you are happy there with Daddy, you waited 51years to be with your true love.

Laura

I remember one Sunday, Dad and Mom both were home all day and Mom cooking a big Sunday dinner as we always had lots of company on Sunday. Dad was always helping Mom cook. After Sunday meals we would all get in a 1929 model A car, and go to Valley Junction (my home now) to visit Uncle Tom and his family. Uncle Tom and my Dad where very close. We were poor but we had love that was something my Dad and Mom always gave us. We had many happy days in those short 12 years of my life. One day Daddy came to me and said, "Honey I'm not going to be here for your birthday so I'm going to give you your present now. It was a pair of white cowboy boots, he knew I always wanted a pair, as all my friends in school had them. Dad told us all that he was going out of the state to get work and that is why he could not be back for my birthday. This job was to be in Wisconsin. Well, Daddy left with a friend to find work, and while he was gone just a few days he received his orders from the Navy Dept to report back to active duty. On February 20, 1942, my dad and his friend started back to Des Moines from Wisconsin. About 5 miles from Merrimac Wisconsin, their car came upon a very bad curve and my hero was killed instantly, his friend lived a few hours after the accident then passed.

I am having a very hard time writing this down because there are not enough words to tell you about my Dad and how much he meant and means to me.
It was just a short 12 years of my life and I lost my Hero. I worshiped my Father and if I wrote down the memories of him, there would NO ending!

I remember my father as if he was still here, the most considerate, gentle, and loving person I have ever known. I am 73 years old now and I have not met anyone who could hold a candle to him.
One of the happiest memories of my Dad is how he would come from work with my mom on a special day like Valentines Day or Easter day or Christmas Eve. He would always come to me and say, "Honey go check and see if we have any mail," and I would answer back, " No daddy there is no mail it's dark out side." He would say, "Honey just go check anyway, the mail man may have come late." So I would go look and whatever day it might have been, there was always something in the mailbox for us kids, Valentine's candy, Easter candy or Christmas surprises. At that time, I wasn't even catching on that he had put anything for us. After all we all thought there was an Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. In my childhood, we always believed in this.

On that Friday night in February, when my mom answered the door, I was standing next to her with my cowboy boots on. As the two policemen told my mom, her husband was killed in a car accident. I was stunned. I will never forget that night; my precious hero was dead. Our lives would never be the same.
Daddy, I know that in my heart you can hear me; I LOVE YOU my HERO and your memory will not die as long as my heart beats.

May you rest in Peace,

Laura

ps. I would like to say you have very good grand children, that did not get to know you, but they all love you, you left your mark here.