This Sunday we pay tribute to our hardworking, dedicated, wonderful mothers. In a few weeks we will give honor to our fathers.
Does your family have certain traditions for Mother's and Father's Day?
In our family, Mother's Day began with the morning church service, wearing an appropriate colored rose, followed by a lunch that we prepared for our mom.
When we were younger, the lunch wasn't fancy, but it was nice. As we got older and had jobs, we children would take Mom and Dad out to lunch for Mother's Day. Father's Day was always a barbecue, steaks, hamburgers, chicken and so on, with lots of side dishes, especially corn on the cob – yum!
Dessert was always homemade ice cream, hand churned in our 6-quart White Mountain ice cream maker. Turning the handle was fun until the ice cream began to freeze and the turning became more difficult. At that point Dad usually took over.
We have friends here in Crestview that have a White Mountain ice cream maker too, which brings back so many memories for me. I was surprised to see that they are still made and for sale.
My parents had planted boysenberries along the fence and they ripen in June, so we would either have boysenberry ice cream or vanilla topped with fresh ones, a delicious dessert enjoyed by all.
We all have memories of holidays spent with our families. If your parents are now gone to heaven, perhaps you should write down these special memories so they don't get lost or forgotten. I remember making ice cream at my grandparents' home in Northern California.
We would churn the ice cream and have different, delicious flavors. Such fun memories of childhood. Dad taught his grandchildren how to turn the ice cream maker and sprinkle the rock salt on the ice, not on the can, so the ice cream would freeze. He told them salt was the key to good ice cream.
What childhood memories about these holidays come to your mind? If your parents are still with you, spend some time talking with them about memories, both theirs and yours. I truly recommend writing these memories down, so they don't get lost.
Our children may not be interested in them right now, but they will be in the future. My husband has his great-grandfather's diary from the Civil War and he treasures these memories.
Thank your parents for all of the sacrifices they made to give you and your siblings a loving, secure childhood.
Moms and Dads, we love you and thank the Lord for giving you to us.
Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Honoring our wonderful mothers and fathers