Thinking of Moms/Celebrating Logan! May 15, 2019

The Blessing of Mothers. I hope that all of you were able to spend quality time with your loved ones this past weekend and honor the mothers in your family. Our larger family has been blessed with exceptional mothers. I trust that has been the case with all of you who are readers of this blog. It speaks to the wonderful family that we have. I cannot speak for the quality of life of every single mother in our family tree. Some surely struggled with the responsibilities of motherhood in ways that negatively affected their children. But on the whole we have been richly blessed in our larger family with women who were outstanding wives and mothers who cared for their children in remarkable, self sacrificial ways.

Online research has enabled me to learn about some incredible mothers in our family history, people we might never know about otherwise. Some of those special mothers I have written about in this blog over the last few years. Consider ancestors in our family tree like Lydia Warford Williams (1782-1829), Esther Sidwell (1791-1874), Peggy Gray (1829-1899), and Mary Sprague Shepard (1840-1919). They each have heart-warming -- and heart-breaking -- stories of the challenges of life that brought out the best in them. Select their links and read about these wonderful family stories.

Maida Gower Shepard with her 

13th Great Grandchild Lylianna Stockmoe

In my life I can say without hesitation that my own Mother, and my two Grandmothers were women who gave the very best of themselves to their families. My grandmothers Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986) and Nola Shannon Gower (1903-2004) were both outstanding mothers and wives who taught quality family values to their children and grandchildren. They will always be an influence in my life. I am fortunate that my own mother Maida Gower Shepard, at 94 years old, is still living in her home in Anacortes, Washington where she has lived for the last 41 years.

Living 1,500 miles away I am not able to spend much time with Mom but I know she is well cared for as she lives out her last years in her comfortable home on Wildwood Lane. In 1978 Mom and Dad moved from San Diego to Western Washington where Dad died in 2003. Today Mom has lots of family around her. When I talked to her this past Sunday, she sounded healthy as could be at 94.

Paula Hicks Harris (1923-2018) This is the first year that Cindy and I will celebrate Mother's Day since the death last June of Cindy's mother Paula Harris. Originally from Oklahoma, she lived here in San Diego for almost 70 years. She was a beautiful lady with a strong faith and an independent spirit. We will forever miss her graceful presence and her wonderful life.

Our Newest and Youngest Mother. I cannot end this post without mentioning the newest, and the youngest, mother in our family, my niece Linda Shepard Stockmoe. On March 1, she and husband Jamie became the proud parents of Lylianna Stockmoe (pictured above) who was born in Anacortes, Washington. Special Mother's Day wishes to Linda! Thank God for the blessing of Godly Mothers, young and old, past and present!

Logan Shepard 

in front of his home in San Diego

Happy Birthday Logan! Today is the 8th birthday of our Grandson Logan Alexander Shepard, who is one of the 13 Great Grandchildren of Maida Shepard. Logan lives with his father Nathan and brother and sister in the San Carlos community of San Diego. Born in San Francisco, Logan has lived in Southern California for the last 5 years. He is a bright second grader at Dailard Elementary school. He loves all the "tablet time" he can get, playing basketball, kicking his soccer ball, and studying the solar system. Ask him about Jupiter and he will not only tell you how many moons Jupiter has (67), he can named the largest ones. His favorite places to visit around San Diego are Waterfront Park, the Fleet Center, and Belmont Park.

Select THIS LINK for a YouTube music video celebrating Logan's special day. Best wishes to Logan for a very happy birthday!
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Steve Shepard