F lowers, perfume and other gifts appropriate to Mother&8217;s Day will bring pleasure to mothers all over the community today. Three Miss-Lou residents had other ideas. They had words to give.

In very different style but encompassing all the emotions that make motherhood special, here are three Mother&8217;s Day essays. One is from Claudia Stephens to her mother, Mary Rogers Jones; another is from Tammye Hoover Dixey, tongue-in-cheek, to herself; and the third is especially for his wife, Betty, from Mike Straczuk.

From Tammye Hoover Dixe:

As I stumbled into the kitchen for my morning coffee, I was sure that a traveling rock group had used my house as a stopping point on their Mississippi tour.

The kitchen was full of dirty dishes, there was trash on the floor, my son&8217;s video games piled high on the coffee table, my daughter&8217;s two guitars lay across the couch like they were kicked back watching MTV, the back door was open, the TV screen had a frozen picture of a some creepy guy with gun/machete thingy in his hand and every light in the house was turned on.

Empty Coke cans were on every surface and there was something in the sink that looked like play dough only as far as I know I haven&8217;t had Play Dough in the house since the kids were in grade school.

&8220;This is it!&8221; I screamed as I slammed every cabinet in the kitchen looking for the sugar that was supposed to go in my coffee only now I suspected was used in the science experiment that filled the sink.

&8220;I quit! As of this moment, I no longer cook, clean, pick up, remind you to brush your hair, your teeth, and try to keep track of your schedules.

I will no longer beg you to take out the garbage because it is all going in your room now.

That is where we will keep the garbage can. In your room! When I try to sit on the couch, I will shove everything of yours off of it and I don&8217;t care if it breaks! I will step on (not over) your video games, because I don&8217;t care in Mario saves the princess!&8221;

&8220;I am officially no longer your mother!

If you cannot treat me with respect, then I will treat both of you like roommates. Roommates that I am sick of! If anyone asks you about your mother, you tell them that you don&8217;t have a mother!

She went to live with a nice family where the teenage children pick up behind themselves and help out around the house! Tell them that you don&8217;t have a mother because she has been committed to Whitfield!&8221;

&8220;What&8217;s Whitfield?&8221; my daughter asked as she stood rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

I paused for a moment.

Should I tell her that Whitfield was the place my mother always said my brothers and I were going to put her? That my entire childhood my brothers and I were so bad that my poor mother would have to resort to screaming &8220;Y&8217;all are all going to put me in Whitfield!&8221;

Naaa. Let her figure it out on her own.

Happy Mother&8217;s Day to me!

From Claudia Stephens:

Thank God for my mother.

Since my father died in 1983, I have been most thankful that I still have my mother.

My sister, Cynthia Jones Cooper, and I have had the most amazing role model in our mother!

As a child, I remember the cool touch of my mother&8217;s kind hands holding the cold washcloth under my chin when I had stomach viruses.

Instantly I would feel better!

We lived in the country on my grandfather&8217;s farm, and my parents epitomized the perfect couple.

My dad worked in town at his CPA firm, and my mom was a housewife and mother.

During the day, mother would cook delicious, healthy homemade meals, sew all our clothes, clean the house, iron, and visit my grandparents who lived next door.

Mother was and is famous for her fabulous chocolate chip cookies and cakes with divine chocolate icing. I wish I had a count on how many of those treats she personally delivered to people who were sick, housebound, lost a loved one, or just needed a friend.

On the weekends, she loved to drag my dad to the VIPON dances.

She would dress up &8212; high heels, red finger nail polish and lipstick; and off they would go!

She loved to dance and still does, but I never saw her smoke, curse, or get tipsy.

She was a lady at all times and faithfully attended church every Sunday.

As children, mother and her sister, my Aunt Page, who is my godmother and amazing woman in her own right, lived in the country outside of Natchez. They read by oil lamp; they rode a horse to the country school (yes, singular &8212; mother rode on the back); they traveled on a gravel road to town; washed their hair with rainwater; they used a privy.

They both saw the advent of electricity, four-lane highways, telephone, television, computers and cell phones. They went to college, served in the Navy, and contributed to humanity making our world a much better place in which to live.

When I was a teenager, my mom carpooled her two girls to a million cheerleader practices, dancing lessons, Rebelette performances, Canteen outings, and all the many other activities we were involved in.

However, she insisted we ride the school bus home every day. At the time, I really couldn&8217;t understand why since all our friends were picked up at school by their mothers or drove cars. She always insisted that it was a part of our education to ride the bus. As usual she proved herself right. Today many of my friends are those childhood friends I made on that hot, school bus. Willie Huff, former police chief was one of those.

My favorite teenage memory of my mother was her teaching us to jitterbug.

We would turn up the record player or radio and dance.

The linoleum floor in the kitchen made a wonderful slick surface to really make this an aerobic activity!

I also cherish how special she made all our holiday events. At Christmas, we always went out with our grandfather to choose the perfect pine or cedar tree which mother decorated so beautifully. Those absolutely beautiful meals she prepared and the table set just perfectly always looked so easy.

Ha!

When I was a student at Ole Miss, mother would write me; and I was very homesick. I often wondered if other students were missing their parents as much as I did mine.

When I married Jack Stephens, my mother accepted my new husband instantly. She has been a very wise mother-in-law because she always sides with him and not with me! Jack adores her and has been plied more than once with her charm and a batch of warm chocolate chip cookies when she needed a light bulb changed or her car started. Jack once asked me, &8220;Are you going to be just like your mother when you get her age?&8221;

When we had our first son Rogers, Jack and I moved next door to my mother and father.

As soon as we did this, my parents headed for Europe to retrace my dad&8217;s journey as a prisoner of war in World War II.

They made many trips around the world after that.

After my dad&8217;s heart attack in 1970, mother came to town (that was a two-lane highway then) every day; and they would have lunch together.

They talked to each other and adored one another.

After William, our second son was born, my mother had two grandchildren who adored her and still adore her today. Known to them as NaNa, their grandmother is idolized by our sons. Our younger son William recently named his first-born daughter Mary Katherine Jones Stephens in honor of my mom &8212; Mary Rogers Jones.

Today mother still lives next door.

She still bakes chocolate chip cookies, wears red fingernail polish, keeps perfect order at home, leads a yoga class, waves the American flag, and continues to jitterbug with her high school friend whom she started spending time with a couple of years ago.

She is the kind of person who will be forever young.

I think it is because she has a wonderful, positive attitude.

Not only that because she actually exercises &8212; she walks two miles a day &8212; and eats healthy, she has maintained her size 8 hourglass figure!

On top of that, she has all her original parts except maybe her appendix. When mother turned 75, we gave her a big birthday party with a little band; and when she turned 80, my sister gave a dance with a full orchestra!

My sister and I had a lot of fun planning these parties!

What will her 90th birthday bring?

I don&8217;t know, but I am taking vitamins just thinking about it!

My family helped bring electricity to rural areas of our county. My grandfather was president of the Southwest Mississippi Electric Company for 25 years. Today mother serves on that board and has served since 1983.

She missed her first meeting when she got sick last year and stayed in the hospital for an extended time.

It was the first time I had ever seen my very independent mother sick.

It was a frightening time.

It scares me to think about how life will be some day without this loving, beautiful person to guide me, comfort me and inspire me.

She brings a new meaning to unconditional love.

Mother&8217;s Day has a special meaning this year because I might not be celebrating it quite the same without her. I am so thrilled that I can publicly declare my love, my heart and life to my mother.

The intense feelings of love that I have for her run deep and to my very core.

Knowing that mother is always there with a hug, a look or an encouraging word is still a gift from God even at my age!

Since I happen to be her oldest daughter, I tend to hold my emotions closer to my chest. I realize that I don&8217;t say &8220;I Love You enough&8221; &8212; so mom, when you read this, I want you to know I love you more than life itself, you are the sunshine of my existence, and I am so proud to be your daughter!

To answer Jack&8217;s question of whether I&8217;ll be like mother at her age?

Well, let me tell you, I want to grow up to be just like her!

Let&8217;s jitterbug!

From Mike Straczuk:

Let&8217;s review the most commonly accepted rules of motherhood:

The sleepless nights.

The changing of pre-potty training diapers.

Feeding the awful substance called baby food while the youngster proceeds to throw the &8220;food&8221; in mom&8217;s face, floor or wall.

Getting the little one dressed for school &8212; mom picks out the blue outfit. It is the yellow outfit or nothing through hollering and screams. Then it&8217;s the shoes &8212; sneakers or sandals. After a sedative, mom finally wins.

Making breakfast even though breakfast may be served at school. Mom wants to be sure little one eats.

Shopping &8212; little one wants &8220;El Snappo&8221; cereal with a toy in it. Oh, Mom, do not forget the $85 pair of sneakers because everyone has them.

Do the cooking &8212; you cook spaghetti. Small stuff wants a corn dog.

Laundry &8212; the clothes are put in the proper drawer for each type of under and outerwear. You hear a voice &8212; &8220;I can&8217;t find anything to wear.&8221; Another sedative. Child gets dressed; shoes are on wrong feet, repair without crying.

Take offspring to church &8212; child talks, sings when no hymns are being sung during sermon. Momma quiets the little country singer or politely excuses themselves to the parking lot.

Bedtime &8212; mom says her prayers. Small one might argue to watch TV or play a game. Momma, after some cajoling, wins and puts covers on small stuff after some whining (both child and mom).

Sedative time again.

Relax, watch TV, read or just pass out.

Thanks mom. Happy Mother&8217;s Day.

All my respect to the mother on the frontline every day and for the amount of effort and love they give their offspring in raising them to be the greatest and best child they can be in their mother&8217;s eyes!

This especially to my wife Betty &8212; thank you.