Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1920-05-28
BOLAR

in her homer birth day dinnr tt
which all of her children, her grant
children and her great grand chill
dren her friends and neighbors have
standing invitation
This occurs annually upon the q
day of May and usually about So pei
sons enjoy their birthday party.
Il.might be interesting to give a
few remarks made in all. after din
ner talk by her son Mr.. J. H. Burns,
whn said in part:
My Dear Mother:
it is useless for me to attempt 80
cypress IN word, the sentiments of
our hearts to-day.
We have assembled here to cele-
brate the Saith anniyerery of the
birth of our mother And you, no
doubt, as you look back across the in
tervening space, as we'll as we our
selves, cannot realize the space of
time that has elapsed.
You have seen in your life time
1880 Sundays, just II years af Sun
days! N
You have lived 30G81 days-iack-
ing only six days of seeing three
m .nths of birth days or three months
Of Chrismases: How wonderful!
You have borne seven children,
three of whom only survive.
You have living, of 27 grand chill
drcn only 2f and II great grond chill
dren 50 for as we could ascertain.
Our father, the late Joseph Wash
lngton Burns Of beloved memory who
was known by his boyhood friends as
"Jittle joe, departed this life Jan IL
1901.
1t is wonderful, when we consider
the fact that you have spent the long
life in the very neighborhood in
which you were born. Yes you are
still occupying the some house in
which you were born and baptized.
There is not another person living
to-day in this neighborhood that was
here when you first beheld the light
of day-nay not single other indi-
vidual living in this community that
was here at the time Of your marria-
ge when you were at the interesting
age Of nineteen!
1 am sorry to say that it is the in
gratitude of children that SO often
blings sorrow to father and mother
and many times in old age father and
mother are left alone, none to min
lister to their simple needs, but in
your case, dear mother l am glad to
know thaS your children who survive
all of whom live near and are pres
nnt to-day, are ever willing and ready
at moments notice to respond to
your every need. ...
That in your declining years it is
pleasure to help to Tighten any bur-
den that might bear upon you, and
to assure you that in this way we
each deem it a pleasure and privil-
ege to repay you in small way
way, the great debt of gratitude we
owe, altho we shall never be able to
fully repay you. ,.. -.--.-
There is no one on earth who loves
us like mother-it is this mother-love
tha follows us as long as mother lives
1t has been said that the character
of our greatest men has been moleded
the influence and devotion
of wise and devoted mothers and
while this may be true 1 am fully con
yinced that the good citizen through
out the length and bredth of our coun
try, both men and women is primarily
the result Of the training given the
child by such mothers as ours.
+ 1t is these wise devoted christian
that have built the grandest
and most powerful nation in all this
world and GOD alone con fully re-
ward you and then we cannot.
We are glad that you have enjoyed
this long life, such good
health, never having been the victom
Of any prolonged sickness and that
you now enjoy comparatively good
health and it our hipe that you may
still enjoy good health and be spar,
ed to see the return of many of your
birth days.