From a small beginning this little memory has grown. First I sent it to Reminisce magazine and to my amazement they published it under the topic ‘We Wish It Was Still Around.’
Reminisce Jan/Feb 1993
“Aprons worn nowadays are mostly ornamental. In the ‘30s and ‘40s, we wore bigger aprons to protect our dresses---even the everyday ones. Most mothers had two huge pockets on their aprons. These carried clothespins to the line, fresh peas in from the garden or crying baby kittens to be warmed by the kitchen fire.
A corner of the apron could be used as an instant potholder or to wipe away a child’s tears. No tool ever had more uses than an apron in the hands of a loving mother!”
My prize for this little memory was a 1929 metal delivery truck bank made specially for Reminisce. It is painted white with red logos painted on three sides of the truck bed. “Thanks for joining the Reminisce staff” is on the left side. On the back is “Reminisce is written by readers” and “Reminisce is fun reading from bumper to bumper” is on the right. Such fun having this little truck around to remind me that I was published on page 61!
Around the same time I revised the essay and sent it to Cappers magazine in response to their topic “Something my mother wore.” Here is what they published ten years later.
Cappers 2004 “Remembers mother wearing apron”
“I have very few memories of my mother without an apron. It was used to wipe my dirty face and tears and to wipe the sweat from my mother’s brow when she had been working in the garden. She would gather vegetables from the garden and eggs from the hen house and bring them to the house in the fold of her apron.
One of my fondest memories is the time I was sick with a cold and had to stay in the house. She came with her apron filled with little kittens. If a car drove up to our house, Mother would take her apron off and hang it on a nail behind the door before she greeted our guests. I wish I could see my mother again wearing one of her aprons.”
In 1995 I submitted it to the Kansas Authors Club yearbook chairman and it was printed under the title, I Wish It was Still Around. This time I had to keep it under 500 words. I read it aloud at the state KAC convention read-a-rounds the next year.
In the spring of 2002 I found an online site offering a Mother’s Day writing contest so once again I revised my Mother’s Aprons to fit different guidelines. July 5th I received notification that I was a runner-up in the contest. The Legacy Project sent me a gold framed award certificate with my essay on it. I also received one hundred dollars worth of books of my choice from the Readers Digest published book list. The book, “Something to Remember Me By” autographed by the author, Susan V. Bosak was given to me.
Then this year I found OurEchoes and posted my Mother’s apron on April 27. Again my writing found favor. This time with the producer/editor Scott Lupo. On May 5th I was informed my post had been selected as the best post for May winning me another one hundred dollars. My story also caught the eye of Allegra Huston & James Nave and they became my sponsors. I have received many wonderful comments that are so precious to all writers. All this from one little memory of my mother.