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Real Answers™
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Copyright: ©2008 James J. Jackson
700 words

TWO MOTHERS' PRAYERS ARE ANSWERD

By: James J. Jackson

Bessie faced the concept of “Guess who’s coming to dinner?” long before the movie was made.  In the movie, two parents were surprised that their daughter’s suitor was of a different ethnicity.  Bessie’s surprise ‘guests’ were ten orphans who would stay far longer than one evening.

Bessie Lannier, a deeply devoted wife and mother, was raised in the Jim Crow South in the early 1900s, one of 19 children of a share cropper/preacher.  Sharecroppers’ children could only go to school through third grade, and then had to work in the fields.

Bessie married David Jackson, and they moved to Chicago, where David worked on the loading docks at an iron and metal company.  Eventually, he and his brothers owned and developed their own trucking company.

The couple gave birth to a son named Allen, who died in infancy.  The couple wanted a big family, but the doctors told Bessie that she would never be able to conceive again. They prayed that this was not true.  A few years later, their prayers were answered with the birth of their daughter, Doris.  Bessie gave up on her dream of having a large family.  

Bessie and David had promised David’s brother, (my father) Sam, as he lay dying from a brain tumor, that they would take care of Sam’s wife and ten young children.  They followed up on their commitment, assisting my mother with the children.  One year after Sam died, my mother, Riferlee, died from leukemia.  This caused an instant dilemma for David.  He couldn’t conceive of asking Bessie to take in ten children, when they had only one of their own.

But, Bessie insisted that God would have them follow through on their promise, even though the meaning had changed.  She opened her home to ten orphans, ranging from 1 ½ to fourteen years of age.  David renovated the house, expanding sleeping and bathroom facilities.  Their small, cozy family of three expanded to a family of thirteen, overnight.

Bessie cherished her role as mother, showing unconditional love, taking every opportunity to teach us life lessons, and instilling Holy Scripture in us.  Before dinner, each person at the table had to recite a Bible verse, and it couldn’t be “Jesus wept”.  It had to be a verse that was meaningful with a life application.

One of my Aunt’s favorite verses was 1 Peter 4:11:  “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God.  If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever”.  She would also use that verse often to admonish us when we were irreverent or cruel in speech or action. 

Aunt Bessie was sad that her lack of education prohibited her from helping us with homework.  One day she announced that she had enrolled in adult education. She faithfully went to night classes several evenings each week, and did her homework during the day.  She completed the eighth grade, and continued on to earn her high school diploma! 

She taught us to love others with the love of the Lord, and constantly reminded us of our birth mother’s love and prayers for us.  She pushed, encouraged and cajoled us to excel at everything we tried, rejoiced when we succeeded, and comforted us when we faltered.

Over the years, the older children went out on their own as adults.  The three youngest; my brother, Mel, who is a year older than me, the youngest brother, Sam and I were the last ones still at home.  During my sophomore year in college, and shortly after Sam had graduated and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, and Mel had joined the Air Force, my Aunt Bessie died of stomach cancer.

The Lord answered Bessie’s prayer for a big family, gave her a job to do, and took her home once it was finished.  My three brothers, my uncle and I gave a final tribute to our ‘Mother’, by digging her grave in thanks for what she had done for us.  I barely remember my birth mother, but I will always remember the mother who was truly a gift from God.

"Real Answers™" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com

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