Wild Plum Jelly

This is what I told at Mother’s funeral.

Memories by Gale

When you have been raised by a Daddy that loves and adores you Mother and raised by a Mama to be a “Keeper at Home” and your Mother and Daddy truly follow our Lord and Savior and not just talk about it “Life is Mostly Good” Mother would say.

It was difficult to narrow it down to just one special memory but this one kept coming back to me and maybe it was about this time of year in 1965; 45 years ago . We had an eight month old baby sisterTwyla at home. We lived at Hart Camp during this time. The Sand Hills are between Hart Camp and Olton and along the road are wild plum bushes.  That year there was an abundant crop.  Daddy took the four older children on an adventure. We went to pick wild plums.  We filled buckets and bags that afternoon eating some and getting stuck by the thorns on the bushes but mostly enjoying the outing with Daddy.  We took the plums home and Mama put up about 40 quarts of Wild Plum Jelly- or we thought it was jelly. As we opened the first jar and enjoyed the jelly over the next year it had not jelled so it was syrup not jelly. Mother served it with pancakes, waffles, french toast and biscuits.  We still think that was the best syrup we ever tasted.

It’s not money or things that make sweet memories but time and discipline given when needed served up with lots of love and grace just as our Heavenly father gives us.

Daddy thank you for loving our mother and mom thank-you for teaching us to be “Keepers at home.”

We sisters got together with some of the girls and put up some Wild Plum jelly at Twyla’s home.  There was a bumper crop of wild plums this year and we took daddy out to pick them as a family.