Remembering mama letters

Dear editor,

I remember how excited I was when my mother would say, “Would you like to help me make donuts?” 

She would tie an apron under my arms and lift me up on a chair beside her. I would “help” her mix the sticky dough, flour the bread board, roll the dough and cut out the donuts. Then she would lift me down, tell me to stand back and she would lay the floppy circles of dough in the hot grease. 

When they popped to the top and were golden brown, I helped her sprinkle them with powdered sugar. We secretly shared several donut holes before my father came home.

Mary Ellen Kimball, Osceola
Producer, “I Remember Mama”

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Dear Editor,

My mother was the epitome of kindness and generosity, and she constantly attempted to instruct her seven children in the importance of being conservative. Having grown up in the 1940s and 50s, money was not in abundance, and we all learned the value of sharing.

In the play, "I Remember Mama" mama is continuously saving for a warmer coat for herself, which becomes a dream rather than a reality. It reminded me of how excited my mother was to receive her very first social security check, and her first and foremost purchase was a new coat; not for herself, however, but for my dad!

Jan Short, 730 South Park, Osceola, Iowa 50213

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Dear Editor,

I remember my Mama. My Grandfather, her father, had a stroke when I was seven and she packed up my sister and me and we traveled the nearly 300 miles to help my Grandmother.

Not only did she help her mother care for Grandpa, but she became my teacher before home schooling was something regulated by school districts. She picked up the first grade textbooks and workbooks my class was using and I did my work at Grandma’s kitchen table.

When we got back home, my teacher would grade the papers and I was allowed to pass to 2nd grade. Then, when my Grandfather died, she opened our home to my Grandmother.

We moved before I began 2nd grade and Mom became my Brownie Leader. She loved working with the girls and camping and moved up into Girl Scouts when our troop did.