Well, I know it has been some time since the original episode of Perspectives (September 15, 2020). In fact, today is episode ninety-nine (99), and how timely it falls Mother's Day, but before I begin, I want to wish you all a very happy and blessed Mother's Day, and all the best a mother can receive in 2023. This Mother’s Day podcast has been reserved and set-aside for quite some time for someone special and very near and dear to my heart.
Although my greatest desire was to introduce her to you in person by means of having a live Question & Answer, but in usual fashion, and with the greatest humility she shied away from publicly speaking and chose to answer some of my questions directly to share her responses with you. She was born June 26, 1941, in Shreveport, Louisiana, to Author (Father) and Marinell (Mother) Ludd, of whom we lovingly refer to as “Big Gramps & Little Gramps”. The family migrated west from Shreveport in 1936, to reside in Pasadena, California, the same town as Jackie, of Brooklyn Dodges fame. Yes, that is Jackie Robinson. Her father was a master mechanic and welder, as he helped build the Navy’s fleet of ships in Long Beach, California during World War II. She has five living siblings, Dorothy (87), Mary (84), Charles (79), Leo (71), and Regina (69), and lost a brother at an incredibly young age that I have only heard him refer to as "little brother". The family for as long as I can recall was rooted in three (3) modest, but profound principles, God, love, and family. They were not well-off, but because of those three, it was not necessary as there was always plenty to go around. What they lacked monetarily, they more than accounted for by the abundance and outpouring of love they offered to any passerby or those that graced their house by their presence. And what I remember most of all is all those years 1936 to 2011, they never locked their doors.
My mother is a beautiful (no I am not biased) eighty-two years old, and still gets about like a teenager. She was married to her high school sweetheart, Ernest Howard, of Monrovia, California for fifty (50) years, before his passing in 2011. It has been twelve (12) years since his untimely death, but through it all, she continues to cling to God’s promises and the words of her favorite song, I Won’t Complain, by Reverend Paul Jones. I have had some good days, I've had some hills to climb, I've had some weary days, And some sleepless nights, But when I look around, And I think things over, All of my good days, Outweigh my bad days, I won't complain.
Today’s episode is titled.
A Conversation with Mom, Happy Mother’s Day
Exodus 20:12
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that, the Lord your God is giving you.
Please allow me to introduce for the first time to some, and to others once again my incredible and loving mother, Alphia Smatha “Louise” Howard. Good morning mom, I know the audience is anxious to hear from you.
Please note that for format for today’s discussion, for context, will be the question followed by my mother’s response.
