Linda Brooks Davis | Demons and a Certain Mother | Let’s Chat
Demons and a Certain Mother
Demons. My mother never waited until October’s Halloween to fight them. No, she brought up the subject whenever she saw the need.Mother was a hoot. No one enjoyed laughing as much as she. We butted heads at times in my teens, but we had a lot of fun too.
One of her favorite sayings was “I’ll fight every ol’ demon in hell for my kids!” Goldie lived it out every day of her life but never more forcefully than one night in 1964. My brother Butch had suffered an all-but-deadly car crash in 1961. He had sustained severe injury to his head, was in a coma for a month, and spent another month being examined for brain damage. (None present, by God’s grace.)
He left the hospital with his jaws wired together and instructions never to get another “blow” to the head.
Fast forward to the night in 1964.
Butch, a recent college graduate, attended a hometown high school basketball game with our crippled Daddy and our Mother. They sat on the opposing team’s side because there was more room.
Butch cheered for “our” side in ways only Butch could, and the coach for the opposing team didn’t like it a bit. He kept looking back and frowning (demon-like according to Mother), but Butch ignored him.
Suddenly the coach stood and climbed up the bleachers.
Butch saw him coming and stood also. The coach grabbed Butch’s leg and pulled him down between the bottom two rows of bleachers. Butch was just getting up to defend himself when the whole place turned into a brawl.Mother saw one thing and one thing only: her son, who wasn’t to get another “blow” on the head, flying through the air and landing with a crash. Soon, the brawl moved to the gym floor where the game had come to a stand-still.
One of the referees held onto Butch to keep him from punching out the coach. But all Mother saw was a horde of demons in hell.
Without considering her actions, Mother flew down those bleachers and began beating the referee about the body with her purse and hammering him on the head with her fist. She had completely lost it.
The man kept saying, “I’m trying to help your son, Ma’am,” but there was no way she was hearing him. She was “fighting every ol’ demon in hell for her son.”
Turned out she broke her little finger on that poor man’s head.
Fast forward again to years later.
Mother visited cousins out of town because she needed to get away from some problem involving her family that was brewing at home. (In truth, she was probably preparing to wage war with “demons.”)
When the cou
sins got up one morning, they discovered Mother had packed. “Are you leaving? Have you gotten everything done?” they asked.
sins got up one morning, they discovered Mother had packed. “Are you leaving? Have you gotten everything done?” they asked.“I’m ready to go, but I’m just getting started.” She held up her right pinkie. “You see this broken finger?” She raised all five fingers in the air. “Wait till you see what I can do with all five!” Mother was prepared to fight a horde of demons that day.
I fought a 2 ½ year battle for my family not so long ago (while trying desperately to relax and let the Lord wage the war). One day in that heartbreaking journey, Al peeked into my office where I was furiously writing and said, “Have you used all five fingers yet?”
I shook my head. “No sir-ee. I’m just getting started!”
~ ~ ~
Dear Lord, please bless your children’s families in the ways you know are best.
And help us leave the demons to you.
~ For Jesus’ sake ~
And help us leave the demons to you.
~ For Jesus’ sake ~
So beautiful, Linda. Your Mom knew exactly what to do in protecting her children!!! I graduated from Raymondville High on ‘59. I came from one of the Correa families. Don’t remember who your Mom was, but my Mom fought those demons also when it came to her kids. Our Moms were SUPER MOMS!!!
Amen, Dora! My brother Jerry Brooks graduated in 1956, and brother Butch (Dalton) in 1960. I’m so happy you stopped by, Dora. Bless you!