Our happy mother the band leader

     This story is about a time that I remembered our mother being in her element and very happy and fulfilled.  We were in Colorado City, AZ  and Uncle Hammond asked her if she would organize a band for the high school.  I don't know how that conversation went, but she said "Yes, I would be very happy to teach the band." So they started gathering instruments and assigning students.  She would get up every morning bright and early and get the my older brothers and sisters up to do their chores, Bart, Keith and Kay, Jelene, Roger, and Lee.  Her own children made up almost half the band and she was proud of them.  She would then get dressed in her pretty clothes and come out of her bedroom looking so beautiful and excited to have a band.  They would all walk to  school every morning come rain or shine.  She would have music in her bag and the rest of the family would have their instruments.  It was close to a two mile walk all uphill to the high school.  She was so loving and pretty to us little girls.  It was then that I remember our mother happy and contented.
    She would wake me up to help Janice get the rest of the little ones up and ready for school.  Mother had already fixed the hot cereal so all Janice had to do was dish it up and sit us up to the table and eat.  But first we had to do chores like sweep the floor and pick up our bedroom and of course get dressed before we were able to eat.  We had little aprons that we would put on for eating and doing dishes.  Our mother was very careful with our clothes and how they were kept.  
     What I remember most is when mother would have a performance she would let us little children come with everyone and we would watch all the big students set the chairs and all the music just right.  The curtain went down and the anxiety was up thinking about our mother leading the band.  We had all the confidence in her though because she handled everything with ease and determination.  Then it was time for the curtain to come up, everyone started clapping and mother lifted her baton and the band started to play.  What a proud moment for all of us.  Mother was very happy helping all her students learn and love their instrument.
Thanks Mom for those memories.
Love you all,
Helen