Thinking of My Mother

Thinking of my mother this Sunday morning,about her life as a young girl, her hardships and  her accomplishments. This is a photo of my mother, Mary Bridget Flynn, possibly 12-14 years old.  It is the only photo I have found of her in her teen years. My mom shared stories of what it was like growing up on Flynn's Hill and being the oldest of five.  She had a lot of responsibilities helping her mother care for her younger brothers and sisters. Uncle Ray explained, they always had what they needed, food ,clothing and shoes, but times were difficult, they had no money, no money at all, no pennies, nickles or dimes, for the other things they may of wanted. They learned early in life about working and earning money for the things they needed and wanted. A "good work ethic" is probably one of the most important things, my grandparents taught my mother and her siblings.  Uncle Ray shared that they were encouraged to learn a skill with their hands, because if they could do something with their hands they could always provide for themselves. Furthering their education was a priority in the Flynn home, especially with having a mother who was a former teacher.  I was told, that my mother spent two summers working in  a  " Fish Cannery" processing fish.  She decided that was not what she wanted to do for the rest of her life and when the "Commercial Course" become available at her school, she was one of the first students, she worked hard and learned all she could.  My mother used those secretarial skills her whole life, advancing in any way she could, from landing her first job at the U.S Navy Base in Argentia, Nlfd to becoming a Legal Secretary for the U.S Navy for 33 years, providing for herself and for her children.                       Thank you Mom.