The Mother’s Day Gift

I grew up in the small, rural town of Chadbourn, where I still reside. When I was a little girl, my mama and her two sisters would take turns hosting Sunday dinner at their homes.

One Sunday, we had lunch with my Aunt Berniece. Corningware dishes and bowls had recently made their big debut when I was about 10 years old. My aunt served some of her good, homestyle southern foods in a set of Corningware bowls. My mama was carried away with the new set of dishes. (By the way, all the women in my family, including myself, love dishes!)

One day the next week, I went into Lowe’s, a locally owned hardware store, with my granddaddy. As I followed him down one of the aisles, there it was: a four-piece starter set of Corningware bowls!

The bowls were white with a small blue flower known as cornflower. Mother’s Day was fast approaching. When I went home that night, I told my daddy what I had found in the hardware store. Mama always made sure that I had what I needed and never bought for herself, so I wanted to buy her something extra special.

There it was: a four-piece starter set of Corningware bowls!

On Saturday, my daddy carried me to the hardware store. He parked across the street, gave me money, and sent me in the store all by myself. I didn’t waste a minute of time. I went straight to the dishes and told Mrs. Lowe, the storeowner, what I wanted to buy. She had a sweet smile on her face and fixed me right up.

The next day, on Mother’s Day, I proudly gave the present to my mama. She was so surprised and happy about her gift. Mama died on May 25, 1992, and now I proudly use the “starter” set of Corningware. It will be handed down to my daughter or my granddaughters.

Marilyn Bullock, Chadbourne, a member of Brunswick Electric