Mothers Day

May 10, 2026

Welcome!

On this journey of sharing BLESSINGS

I am accompanied by some friends.  You can visit them, too.

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Lynda’s Journal of Blessings

<< Mother <<

Mother’s Day, May 10, 2026

©Walking by Inner Vision, my blog, since December 2009.

_My Thoughts

An intimate tapestry I’ve created over an adventurous  and grateful  life emerges as I glance through flickers and memories. In just a moment, though,  I can return to the earliest memories of my home, family, neighborhood, and relatives.

Growing. is one major aspect of life. We can never really go back home. Nevertheless, I do know that in our memories and our heart we can recall the details of those places, people, and events. 

The black walnut tree in the back yard.  My father’s gardens.  My personal hiding places where I could disappear for a while to think or rest.  My mother’s homemade pies cooling on the windowsill.  Fetching my two brothers from the neighborhood, to come to dinner.  My sister and her friend playing with dolls.

On August 27, 1943, I became the first-born child, in a family of four children (two girls and two boys).  I was blessed to enjoy  the early years of my life in a small village (Frisco) in western Pennsylvania.  Esther and Bill McKinney are  my parents. Today, only my sister, Patti, and myself remain.  Currently, I live in another village that is only 1/2 mile from Frisco. I love my century-old home in  the Village of Wurtemburg, where most of my ancestors lived from the time this village was created in 1800.

Frisco was our home until I was fifteen years old.

Our house in Frisco was on Harmony Avenue. I could walk down the street today and tell you about each family who lived in each home. We lived there  from the time I was 2, until I was 15. We moved there following my father’s return from his time in Europe with Patton’s troops Dad saw me only a short time before he was drafted into the Army.  I was nearly three  when he returned to the United States, after the war.

I am fortunate that I was born into a family with a Mother and Father who taught us core-values that gave us a lifetime of  living  our lives with an American worldview. We learned early in life to love our country, our neighborhood, and our family.  God was always at the center of our home, and we were loved and cherished. Our parents were role models for us. We developed basic skills for life from the example of our parents. We  lived one mile from North Star School, and we attended that school for the first 8 years of our education. Most days we walked to and from school, and in the springtime stopped to pick bouquets of violets to bring home to Mom.  She put them in a little jelly jar, on the kitchen windowsill.

Today, I honor my mother, Esther Luella Kirker McKinney, (1920 – 2007).

The year of Mom’s passing in 2007 is easy for me to remember. My fifty-nine-year-old brother, David, died after a 5-year battle with cancer, in the early morning hours of January 1, 2007.This was also the day that I suddenly began to experience sight loss. Two months after David left for his eternal home, my Mom was near death in the hospital, I gently told her that her son, David, was in Heaven and he was with Dad, and that they were waiting for her to arrive.  My brother Tom and my sister, Patti, were with me as we kept watching over her and comforted her for the final time. I leaned over her and read some of the Psalms to her as she was unable to respond any longer.  The last words she heard me reading  were spoken  by King David.  Words that still comfort and guide us in life and in death.   My mother’s final words tell her story.   “That’s good”   she said.

My mother’s legacy lives on as I  share life values and wisdom that I learned from her to my own five children, 7 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.

In honor of Mother’s Day, I will share a few things that my Mom taught us as we were growing up.

Most important to Mom, was her love for Jesus. She told us how she got saved when she was fifteen. We grew up knowing that the little Wurtemburg Methodist church was a central and safe port of life, and that trussing God with everything was a priority. Like my Mom, I was saved at age 15, under remarkably interesting circumstances that I’ll write about in the future.

Books and reading are important,” Mom said, as we traveled back and forth on Saturday mornings, to our local public library. I can still remember the beautiful smell of entering the old building that was our hometown library. The library was located on one floor of the Masonic Temple, at that time. I recall the silence and the importance of being quiet so as not to disturb others who were reading or looking for books to take home. We came home each Saturday, with some new books to read. In my preteen years, I can recall reclining on a glider on our front porch, reading from one of those books. The stories took me to many exotic and exciting places and occasionally into frightening circumstances with the characters.  And who can ever forget the books, such as Under the Lilacs, Little Women, Black Beauty, or whatever you like to remember.

I can’t forget to tell you, Mom was a beautiful singer!  Yes, she sang alto in the church choir. On some special Sunday mornings, Mom sang duets with  another member of the choir.  Our  church family would often ask them to do a favorite song, and on some of those rare occasions, they would sing the requested duet.  Music runs in our family! The best nights at church were the special times when the pastor adked the audience for their favorite hymns.  My hand would be up waving in the air first of all.  My request, each time?  “He Lives”  and I can sing it in my mind any time I want to hear it again, even now.

“He lives!  Listen to this song I requested every time we had the opportunity to make a request  Listen to “He Lives.”

He lives!

He walks with me and talks with me along the narrow way…

Mom had 6 brothers and sisters.  Her sister, Jeanne, played the piano and organ at church.  Also in the church band was Mom’s father, James, who played cornet.  Mom’s brother, Clair, played alto sax. And, cousin Larry played trumpet. As my Mother worked in our home, you could always find her because whatever she was doing, she was also singing.  Most days, she was listening to the little radio in the kitchen, and singing along with the music.  Every night we had bedtime stories, and a final prayer time  before we jumped into bed. Music and prayer were woven into our life journey.

Caring for my home, keeping it clean and welcoming to friends and family is a skill I learned by living with Mom and Dad. Visitors were always welcome, and there was always room at our dining room table for a guest. Since we lived near the railroad tracks, Mom’s cooking was appreciated by the  travelers (also known as hobo’s)  who found their way to our home. Mom brought them inside and had them seated on the couch in the living room, where she  brought them a hot meal  to enjoy, as they watched our television and dine on a little table.  I recall one such traveler saying, “You are Betty Crocker.  This food is so good.”  Mom left a piece of her hospitality heart in me. I’ve entertained many souls over the years, by serving them food at my dining room table.  Mom taught us to be abundantly generous. I am Inspired by Mom’s  thoughtfulness to open our home to others.

Today, I think of Mom and  her support of my many creative activities:  dance  and piano lessons; art show openings; helping me learn to be a mom when our first little girl was born, cooking and canning and preparing meals, fitness, walking with her every day in the early mornings – for years.

Held  her hand as  she left for her final journey to Heaven.  She is with me in spirit every day. In quiet moments I hear her singing again.

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Gatekeeper: Poems of Faith

will be my 7th book when it is published later this year.  This full-length book of poetry reflects that vision and insight that I learned from Mom. I know she is in my “great crowd of witnesses,” and is cheering me on with  each blessing I share.

Thank you for dropping by today!

How about you?

What values did you learn from your Mother?

How does her legacy live on in your life?

Consider the value of your home and everyday life and find the gems that are waiting there for you to discover today.

_BONUS

From Lynda’s Journal of Blessings –

_ A Song for you today:  Mother

  by

Kacey Musgraves – Mother (Official Music Video)

 Listen Now.

_3 Bible verses for today’s Scripture

• Proverbs 1:8-9: “Pay close attention, my child, to your father’s wise words and never forget your mother’s instructions. For their insight will bring you success, adorning you with grace-filled thoughts and giving you reins to guide your decisions.”
• Ephesians 6:1-3: “Children, if you want to be wise, listen to your parents and do what they tell you, and the Lord will help you. For the commandment, “Honor your father and your mother,” was the first of the Ten Commandments with a promise attached: “You will prosper and live a long, full life if you honor your parents.”
• Proverbs 31:10: “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”

_My Bio

Below is Lynda’s Bio as it appears in the summer of 2025 in

Food, Flowers, Medicine: And Other Gifts From the Garden, Anthology, 2025

If you want to know more about this new book. Read  here

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Lynda McKinney Lambert…

writes and creates visual art from her vintage home in the Village of Wurtemburg, in Western Pennsylvania. She writes poetry and personal nonfiction essays. She currently has six published books available at all retail booksellers. Her artworks have appeared in international exhibitions, including Japan, New Guinea, Austria, and the United States.  Lynda retired from her position as Professor of Fine Art and Humanities at Geneva College in 2008 due to profound sight loss. She invites readers to discover the subtle nuances  and beauty of a physical and spiritual world as she weaves strands from history, nature, and her personal life experiences.