(2nd column in series of 3) This Church Lady's Eyebrow

Mom, Dad and me - I think when I was still an 'only' child. :) Their anniversary is 2/9.

My mother wasn’t on my childhood list of church ladies.That seems an odd twist, since she was the one mainly responsible for my participation in all things church-related. And she is most likely the reason my church spankings stopped when we moved to the city. How did she convince me to keep my fidgets to a minimum?

It might have had something to do with her eyebrows. She could move one to create an expression I learned quickly to interpret as “Whatever you are doing is unacceptable so stop it now. No discussion.” I think my brother and sister read it the same way. If we heeded it, life ensued without the hubbub that accompanied Dad’s tactics.

Mom did her share of pitching in - teaching Sunday School, working in Vacation Bible School, preparing dishes for potlucks and studying lessons for her own classes when not teaching. That’s all church-lady criteria.

One two-week VBS summer stands out. I was 8, my brother was 4 and our little sister was on the way. Mom wore the prettiest maternity ensembles - matching skirts and graceful tops with collars and bows. St. Louis summers can be ultra hot and sweaty. This was one of those. Back in the day we lined up by class on the sidewalk outside the front doors of the church and marched into the sanctuary with our teachers for open assembly. Mom was a teacher for my brother’s class. Smart move. This day she was really hot and uncomfortable but we didn’t stay home. After all, I had memorized my Bible verses and had stars and bookmarks to get.

As I grew up, I would have considered her a church lady, no longer ‘just Mom’ but Evelyn (Bizzell) Pearson, a business woman liked and respected. She didn’t enjoy church more in retirement since Alzheimer’s forced her into an early one and changed the trajectory of her future. February 5 was her birthday. She’s top of any list still. Love and miss you, Mom.