Amazing Avon

Avon and her daughter Karen in 2019

I had just turned twelve when I officially began my babysitting career with the Anderson family. I couldn’t have asked for a more energetic bunch of little boys to keep entertained, fed, bathed, and ready for bed by 7:30 p.m.

Avon was the smiling, inspiring mother of this young crew. She worked the swing shift at the hospital from 3:30 p.m. to midnight—a schedule that required a remarkable combination of cooperation and sacrifice. Avon was home with the kids all morning and afternoon, after her husband Don left for work.

By mid-afternoon, she became a full-time, dedicated obstetrics nurse. Then, during her meal break, she’d rush home, help with dinner, kiss the boys goodnight, and head right back to the hospital—day after day, year after year.

I never once saw Avon get flustered. Busyness was normal—so were dishes piled in the sink, toys scattered across the floor, and a mountain of laundry waiting. But love was generously served every single day.

When Avon delivered their baby girl, washing diapers was added to the chore list, but nothing seemed to overwhelm her. She showed me how to manage chaos and transform it into a home filled with cheer.

This was my first close-up look at motherhood. I could see the effort and the sacrifice. Avon didn’t wear fancy clothes or drive a new car. There weren’t many “me” days for her. But it didn’t seem like she wanted any either.

As her children grew and moved on, she gave her extra time to others—just like she had always done at home, so effortlessly.

But it probably wasn’t effortless. It was a daily choice to get up and give love. I admired that.

Of course, I’ve met many mothers since then, and I see the same choices being made—family first, work hard, repeat.

Now, all these years later, I realize how much Avon’s example stayed with me. When I became a mother myself, it wasn’t the picture-perfect moments I tried to recreate—it was her steadiness, her selflessness, her ability to show up with love, even on the hardest days.

I didn’t know it then, but she was shaping the kind of mother I hoped to become.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, we honor mothers, aunts, friends, and all those who invest their love in raising children. It’s never been easy, and alas, it never will be. But it’s the best way to pass a mother’s love on to the next generation.

Anderson Family