T
here was a special lady that lived on a farm in Grace, Idaho. With every challenge or endeavor that came her way, she always went far beyond the call of duty. She was a widow with nine children - the youngest age 7, the oldest 22. Instead of complaining of her hard life, she accepted her fate and changed the ordinary into the extraordinary.
No matter how bleak or serious things seemed to be, she found the positive side and a ray of hope. She taught her family the value of hard work and the importance of education, although she only went as far as fourth grade.
Once a week she picked up supplies in town. Otherwise her days were full milking the cows; making butter, cottage cheese and ice cream; and raising pigs, sheep, and chickens. She had a large vegetable garden, as well as gooseberry and raspberry bushes, strawberry vines and apple trees. She was an excellent cook and neighbors often dropped in at mealtime.
Once, when unexpected company arrived, she took her .22 rifle and went outside to shoot a chicken. As the gun went off another chicken stepped in the line of fire. The bullet went through both chickens and grazed the back of a pig. It became a family joke - one shot to kill two chickens and skin the pig.
Her children didn’t have material wealth, but they certainly received the necessary and important things in life: love, spiritual guidance, concern for others, appreciation for a table filled with food and respect for the law. She was truly an example of all that is good.
As a young man I remember sitting at her feet while she taught me. “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” And, “I’ll never throw upon the floor a crust I cannot eat, for many a little hungry one would think it quite a treat. Willful waste brings willful want and I may live to say, Oh, I wish I had that crust that once I threw away.”
This incredibly strong and courageous woman is my maternal grandmother, Alice Maughan. My mother is a lot like her mother. Many special occasions, my mother went without a new dress just so she could buy great football cleats for me. Many times my mother insisted that we stay home, instead of going on a summer vacation, just so I could stay and play on a baseball all-star team. My mother is a great cook, a spiritual giant, a church and community servant, and the very best mom who ever lived. She taught me right from wrong and, as far as I know, has never told a lie. I’ve never heard her swear or complain about her trials, heartache and pain. My dear sweet mother, Ruby Maughan Clark, truly is the epitome of service above self. It’s the way it was and still should be.