Ellen Williams

My mother was a poet

My mother was a poet. Many of you did not know that. She used to have books of poetry. As we are going through her things, it would be wonderful to find them. While thinking of her and all of the things she has given us, poetry stands out the most. Her life was a poem divided by verses and stanza’s (a series of verses). She was born Ellen D Nelson and her mother was Verma Nelson. Her father Herbert passed when she was young. During this stanza her verses could have been filled with unhappy notes because her father had passed. But instead, she often told us of the fun that she had and of the mother who was tough but caring. She loved her brother Archie who was athletic and fast. She loved her friends like Jesse who were always there and true. During this stanza things were not always easy for a black family in the 30’s and 40’s and 50’s but her verses were often about the people in her neighborhood that looked out for each other and she felt safe.

My mother was born February the 11th 1944. She passed November the 2nd, 2021. In those seventy-seven years she added many verses to her poem. She wrote the verses that showed her several degrees. During this stanza she accomplished, two associate, a bachelors, and two masters’ degrees in child psychology, and a certificate in x-rays technology. In this period of her life, she was not going to school to get rich, she studied because she loved children, she loved teaching.

She had medical challenges in her life, she overcame cancer, the doctor sounded a note of pessimism when a woman in her late 60’s had stage four breast cancer. But she wrote verses of life and praised the life giver. She knew, “that although she walked through the valley of death, she will fear no evil.” After all our mother was a poet, so what is death but a gateway to more verses. Heaven would be a longer stanza than she had ever experienced with many people to read to while she traveled. The life giver was waiting for her. She sometimes struggled with personal marriage relationships, but she always maintained the relationships that counted. Poetry after all is about overcoming.

But her happiest thoughts as she relayed them over the years was of her children and grandchildren. She would play with them and go places with them and have fun with them when she wanted to. But, don’t make her baby sitting your brood as a part of your night life plans. She said anyone grown enough to have them can care for them. She loved her brood and here they are: children, Cheryl, Dana, Keith, Jesusa. Grand children, Kenya Krystal, Pierre, Elizabeth, Quanicia, Ammahd, Dellvonte, Robin, Alexandria, Ashton, Victoria, Julius. Great Grand Children, Amiriyon, Isis, Isaiah, Dariyon, Sophia, Malik, Kaine, Haven, Elizabeth, Olivia, Londyn, Ayden, Audrey, Arian, Roman, and Kross.

As we conclude the poem of her life let us remember all those who love the Lord will see her again. she decided to go be with Jesus and that was the best decision she could have made.

Service will be held at sunrise church on 11/13/2021 from 11:00 A.M. till 2:00 P. M. 7687 long lake rd. Mounds view mn 55112. There will also be a link to stream on Zoom too.