She was named after her grandfather's mother. When her grandfather Truman was born, his mother Jean died giving birth to him. Truman thus grew up surrounded by Mormons, with a strict Mormon step-mother who believed ferociously in stern discipline, and did not hesitate to tattle on young Truman Ira or his big brother Homer.

It soured him on his step siblings, and made him ambivalent toward the LDS brand of Mormonism ever since.

My mother was born in southern Missouri, named Jane or Jean in her g-grandmother's memory.

I learn the first inklings toward INNER PEACE

I have a lot of Quaker heritage. When I was small, I tended to "fight her" either by attitudes and looks, or avoidance, or often by directly resisting her authority. In other words, I was fighting her rule over me. I was insubordinate. My smirks, my leers, even copping ogles.

It was her appearance that spoke louder than words. Her looks made a statement, and for me, put me on the spot.

The one thing she could not cotton was "fighting" (she called it strife). If I shook my head, or tried to deny something, She asked: "Okay then,
Why ... are ... you ... fighting."

Wiser than I, my mother knew the reason.

She would bring up a scripture, Whence comes all your fussing and quarrelling?

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not. (James 4:1-2)

For her, peace was not an empty mantra. It often had "teeth" to it. She was no mamby-pamby idealist. Her words meant business.

She was dead serious about following through. (In other words, the enforcement aspect.) I cringed, fearing "Judgement Day."

One thing about my mother. When she said something, she did it.

She was fairly plain spoken with words. But in my case, sometimes it was her actions that spoke louder than mere words.

No idle threats. No promises she didn't keep. She KEPT her word. "Let your aye be aye." Never "swear" just DO IT. Follow through.

Believe me me, MY MOTHER followed through.

In our household, that meant a "karma" session for me. Or Reckoning. (Often, Sunday afternoon, right after coming home, still in our Sunday Best.)

Robert W. SHEPHERD LORENZ HOTEL #321 RDG, CA 96001-1044

Doesn't good come from bad? Then judge me not.