Mother’s Day

I was pleased to read this blog post from Seth Godin, in which he explains that his mother was never much into Mother’s Day. He says, “anytime you do something because you’re supposed to, or because everyone else is doing it, it’s not worth as much. Flowers the week before or a nice poem the day after were priceless compared to the trudge to the restaurant on the appointed day.”

With that in mind, here’s a tribute from Lisa to her mother. A few days after Mother’s Day.

Margaret (Peg) Burnham was born the eldest in a soon to be family of six to Richard and Mary Hart. Born in St. Louis, Michigan on February 24, 1951, she attended a one room schoolhouse where she was the only girl in her class. When she was in 3rd grade, the family moved to Swartz Creek, MI where her father started the local grain elevator and her mother the local restaurant and ice cream shop. Having the family in small business taught Peg the importance of hard work, strong work ethic and family togetherness. Peg preferred being outside than inside working at the elevator and out on the family farm with her horses and dogs. Peg recalled once that her uncle said something that she took great pride in and is how she raised me, her only daughter: It’s a real woman who can work out on the farm and come inside and get cleaned up and look like a woman all in the same day.

In 1973, she married Lee Burnham and started their family; Lee II was born later that year, Lisa was born in 1977 and Dan in 1980. Peg was a stay at home mom for much of the children’s lives, but mom does not even begin to describe her position. She was a maid, cook, taxi driver, cheerleader, counselor, teacher, banker, leader, doctor, and law enforcement officer. Throughout my childhood, my mom never missed a school function, track meet, volleyball game, marching band competition, dance recital, choir concert, nothing. She was there through everything somehow stretching her time between all three kids even if it meant putting herself on hold for the time being.

As a stay at home mom, money was tight as a one income family. Somehow, she stretched it to provide the necessities for the family as well as classes, pets, and sports for all the kids. Even though money was tight, there was never any question that we would all go to college. Peg wanted all her children to make the most of themselves and encouraged them in any and every way she could to be the best person they could be.

Not only did she encourage her own children, she encouraged many other children. Peg was a 4-H leader to many other youth over the course of 14 years. There were many, many 4-H’ers who looked to Peg for guidance in project areas and life. She encouraged all of them to be the best they could be as well as getting them involved in other community service projects like visiting the elderly to brighten their day or planting flowers within the community. But, 4-Hers weren’t the only children who looked up to her as a guide. Many of her children’s friends called her mom. One giving her the compliment of how lucky her children were to have her as a mom for all she did for us.

Through it all and even now, she doesn’t consider herself a hero. However, I do. I look to her daily as an inspiration to mothering. And just hope to be half as good a mother and person as she was.