Hi, Thank you Glenn, our List Administrator, for a wonderful request regarding our Mothers. My Mother was, LYDIA BELLE (SHUPE) WHITTAKER, born 6 January 1910 in Spring Valley, Grayson County, Virginia. My parents were married in Amelia County Court House, Virginia on 6 June 1925 and then they moved to Pennsylvania. My mother died 23 October 2000 in Pennsylvania. To the day that she passed over she kept her Southern accent. My mom had seven babies. Four boys and three girls. Just yesterday I was thinking about my mother and the fun things she would make-up for my brothers, sisters and I when we were growing up. Like taking an old top from an ironing board, smoothing it down for us to use as an, "indoor" sliding board. Also, putting up clothes lines in the backyard so we could throw blankets over them and make tents to play in and sometimes slept in at night, until we got scared because our brothers would tell us ghost stories and inside we would go running, to our mother, of course! If it was raining out she would place the dining room chairs in the living room so we could put our blankets over them and make little houses that we could crawl through. Then there was the many times her and our father would take us down to Atlantic City to play on the Beach. (This was in the 1940's). Sometimes our parents would take us on a full day trip on a huge, Paddle Wheeler, where it sailed gracefully down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In the summer time our mother would pack a picnic lunch and take us to a park to listen to a band play in a Gazebo or off we would go to a park for a wonderful day of picnicking and then watch the 4th of July fireworks. My mother made all of our clothes and we were so proud of them. Especially our little pin-a-fores. She even made my eleventh grade Prom dress, and I felt like the Queen of the Ball. My mother was always taking in other people's children, sometimes for months at a time because their parents were having problems, and I was always sad to see them go back to their own homes. They were like having new brothers or sisters. After we all left home my Mother wanted to get a job so she became a Registered Nurse and worked at a Hospital in PA for over 25 years. Since she had nursed us kids all those years, she thought she would be good at nursing and took right to it and she really loved her job! She enjoyed her garden so we would all have fresh vegetables and could do wonders with her flowers. She made our lawns and flower beds a wonderful sight to behold. Sometimes we would be laying out on the lawn watching the clouds drift by and she would come out and made it even more enjoyable for us. During the winter she would go sledding with us too. What wonderful memories we have of her! My Mother was the backbone of our family and I miss her and love her and we were so lucky to have had her with us for ninety years. Now she's resting at peace with our Father and two brothers. Nancy (Whittaker) Faulkner