{"id":12162,"date":"2003-05-01T18:41:06","date_gmt":"2003-05-01T22:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12162"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:08:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:08:00","slug":"happy-mothers-day-pa-by-debbieb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12162","title":{"rendered":"Happy Mother’s Day, Pa (by DebbieB)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>: \u00a0Little Joe pays homage to his father, on Mother’s Day<\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0G\u00a0 <\/strong>(1,225 words)<\/p>\n

Happy Mother’s Day, Pa<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a letter from Joe, Pa,\u201d called Hoss the minute he opened the door.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben, who had been resting in his weary body in his favorite chair, quickly jumped to his feet and met his middle son half way across the room. He had been waiting all day, hoping to receive some word from his youngest son who had been gone for nearly a month to San Francisco on business for him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s it say?\u201d asked Adam as he stood to his feet and moved behind Ben, trying to read over his father\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDoes he say when he\u2019s comin\u2019 home?\u201d Hoss wanted to know.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHold on, hold on, give me a minute to read it,\u201d laughed Ben who glanced quickly at both boys.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben chuckled, he had missed his son terribly and from the looks on Adam and Hoss\u2019 faces, it was evident that they had missed Little Joe as well. Ben moved back to his chair and sat down, opening with care the folded papers. His eyes quickly scanned the letter and then he glanced up at Hoss.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSorry son, he doesn\u2019t say anything about when he\u2019ll be home. Now give me a minute to read it, Adam, and I\u2019ll share the news with you,\u201d Ben smiled.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben began reading silently the words scribbled in his youngest son\u2019s backhanded writing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dear Pa,<\/p>\n

I just wanted to write a quick note. I knew I wouldn\u2019t make it home in time to tell you in person, but I didn\u2019t want to miss the chance to say what\u2019s in my heart. Besides, it\u2019s easier to say on paper what\u2019s hard to put in words when standing face to face to someone whom you care as much about as I care about you. I don\u2019t know why that is, but it is, maybe because I\u2019m older now and telling your Pa, \u2018I love you\u2019, seems a little harder to say when you\u2019re twenty instead of ten.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I want to wish you a Happy Mother\u2019s Day\u2026please, don\u2019t laugh at me, Pa, because I mean it from the bottom of my heart. You have been the best father a guy could ever have; all three of us know that. But you\u2019ve been more than just a father to me; you\u2019ve been a mother to me as well. It may sound silly, and I\u2019m sure that if my friends heard me talking like this, well, they\u2019d probably laugh and make fun of me. But I don\u2019t care. It\u2019s true.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I remember nights after Ma died, when you would come into my room and stay with me when I\u2019d had a nightmare and had trouble going back to sleep. I always knew that I could count on you to stay right there with me, all night if I needed you too, and come morning when I woke up, sure enough, you\u2019d be there. Thanks, Pa!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I remember other times, like when I was sick and needed nursing, you never sent to town for some strange woman to come out and care for me, not my Pa. You were always the one who kept me cooled with your compresses and forced me to eat when I wasn\u2019t really hungry and insisted that I drink that horrible concoction that Hop Sing mixed together. You did it because you loved me and wanted me to get better, which somehow, it always worked, in spite of the fuss I usually put up. Thanks, Pa!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And Pa, those times that I was in trouble, you were always there to bail me out. And let\u2019s not forget the lectures that I had to sit through and all the shouting you did, and I remember the thrashings as well. All because you wanted me to be a better person and grow up with values and be someone whom you could be proud of. I\u2019m not sure I\u2019ve gotten there yet, but I\u2019m trying Pa, all because you instilled in me the desire to be a man of honor like yourself. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever compare with you, you are the finest man I\u2019ve ever known and I\u2019m proud as proud can be that God saw fit to make you my Pa and my ma.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I can remember when I when I was little and still in school. When we would have those special mother day banquets and I didn\u2019t have a mama to go with me, you never complained or seemed to feel out of place being the only father there. The kids used to make fun of me, but after awhile they were amazed that you came back, year after year.\u00a0\u00a0 And I remember some of the fellas telling me how neat they thought you were and how lucky that I was cause I had a pa that didn\u2019t mind being a mother for just one day. Well, Pa, it wasn\u2019t just one day. It was every day. You were both pa and ma to me and there are no words that I could ever say to you that would explain to you the depths of love, respect, gratitude, and thanks that I have in my heart for all that you have done and given to me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Saying thank you just doesn\u2019t seem enough, somehow. I feel like I\u2019ve given very little in return for your sacrifices and all your hard work at making me what I am today. But I want you to know that I appreciate everything that you have ever done, for every tear that you have shed for me, for every whispered prayer that you have prayed and for every ounce of love you have in your heart for me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thank you Pa, for being both father and mother to me. I love you from the bottom of my heart, I hope you know that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Happy Mother\u2019s Day, Pa<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Your loving and devoted son,<\/p>\n

Joseph Francis Cartwright.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben slowly folded the letter in half and stuck it back into the envelope. As he stood up, he placed the envelope into his vest pocket, next to his heart. Without a word or glance, he turned from his sons and headed for the door.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d Adam called out.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben stopped as he placed his hat on his head. \u201cYes, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam glanced at Hoss and then back at his father. \u201cIs everything okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben smiled, \u201cYes, son, everything\u2019s just fine, why?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, from the look on your face, we just thought that something might be wrong. What did Joe say?\u201d Adam explained.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s smile broadened as he strapped on his gun and holster. \u201cOh, he just wrote to wish me happy Mother\u2019s Day.\u201d Ben turned and was out the door before either Adam or Hoss could make a comment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss glanced at Adam; both wore confused expressions on their faces as they stared at one another.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Outside, alone, Ben pulled his handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped the tears from his eyes before blowing his nose. As he stood, propped against the railing of the fence, he glanced upward and smiled.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you Lord. I wasn\u2019t aware that I had done such a fine job, being both mother and father to that boy, I mean.\u00a0\u00a0 Seems like he\u2019s gonna turn out all right after all. Happy Mother\u2019s Day, Marie my love!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

Mother\u2019s Day<\/p>\n

2003<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Little Joe pays homage to his father, on Mother’s Day<\/p>\n

Rating: \u00a0G\u00a0 (1,225 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9052,"featured_media":3737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23],"tags":[14,15,17,16],"class_list":["post-12162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","tag-adam-cartwright","tag-ben","tag-hoss","tag-joe","wpcat-23-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1004,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ben.jpg?fit=264%2C281&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6617,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6617","url_meta":{"origin":12162,"position":0},"title":"August Moon (by Rider)","author":"Rider","date":"May 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Little Joe Cartwright celebrates his 21st birthday with his family on the Ponderosa Ranch. Rated:\u00a0K+ (830 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/B_TLCSJoe1-1-1.jpg?fit=395%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12151,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12151","url_meta":{"origin":12162,"position":1},"title":"For All the Mothers, including Ben Cartwright (by DebbieB)","author":"DebbieB","date":"May 1, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0Ten year old Joe learns that sometimes mothers are more than just being a woman. 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Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0 (2,570 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12187,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12187","url_meta":{"origin":12162,"position":4},"title":"Why Jesus is Better Than Santa (by DebbieB)","author":"DebbieB","date":"December 20, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0As explained to Little Joe by his father and brothers. 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