My mother, Margaret “Marna” Burke Jones, was born on July 30, 1927. She passed away on June 8, 2013. She gave birth to six children, of which I was the first. She, with my father, Bill, raised us all with love and care; always there for us.
She is buried with my father, in a simple, beautiful cemetery in Peabody, MA.
One of my brothers left flowers at the gravesite for Mom, and took this picture!
In her memory; and for all mothers, living or deceased, I offer this prayer I came across on the Web:
A MOTHER’S DAY PRAYER
I said a Mother’s Day Prayer for you, to thank the Lord above for blessing me with a lifetime of your tender-hearted love. I thank God for the caring you have shown me through the years, for the closeness we have enjoyed, in time of laughter and of tears.
And so, I thank you from the heart, for all you have done for me, and I bless the Lord for giving me the best mother there could ever be!
(Author unknown)
I am on Cape Cod this Thanksgiving Day, with my wife, her mother and some of her siblings, nephews and nieces. After a wet drive from the South Shore the night before, this day has been sunny, clear, crisp and cool. In the morning we went to the local Catholic church, and attended a Thanksgiving Mass. My wife, Peg’s father passed away in October, so after Mass, we visited his grave.
evening’s dinner. Food is being prepared, table cloths spread out, and the table has been set. With all this activity, I have begun to reflect on the meaning of Thanksgiving Day. Some trace it roots to the English Reformation, during the time when the Puritans had strong influence over the Church of England. Holy days were done away with; to be replaced by Days of Fasting during times of national tragedies, or stress, and Days of Thanksgiving for good harvests and national victories. The Pilgrims brought these practices with them to New England. Various colonies and then states would proclaim days of Thanksgiving. Abraham Lincoln would issue a presidential proclamation, establishing Thanksgiving as a holiday throughout all the states.
The tragedy of what has occurred in Las Vegas, the enormity of it, has yet to be fully felt by many of us. The raw power of the images we have seen on television, our computers, and tablets; has hit us all in the gut. The politics, the partisan speeches, the proposals; they will, they must come, but later. Right now, we need to mourn for those who have died, We need to help the wounded, and the survivors. We need to stand with those who have lost loved ones. We need to come together as a nation, as a people; in the face of such evil.
Today is the 16th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States that changed this country for years to come. Never, in the history of the Republic, were so many civilian lives lost through such brutal acts. There have been other attacks on this country since then, but this particular assault will remain seared in our memories for ages to come.
Musings From St. Anthony's Walnut Tree 