West River Eagle

Mama’s Memories



Editor’s note: These are memories shared with the Editor by Sharon Lee, as told by Velma Walters-Lee to Sharon on 12-16-13.

Christmas at LaPlant was always a happy time for Mama. She had some real nice cookie cutters and loved baking cookies for everyone. Mom said she would bake with her Mother (Amy Arpan-Walters). They made numerous baked goods and Grandma Amy embroidered beautiful dish towels and pillow cases. Mom didn’t like to embroider but would help Grandma Amy bead daisy chains. They would make baskets for the elderly and distribute them over the holidays. The baskets were filled with delicious baked goods, embroidered dish towels and pillow cases, beadwork (daisy chains), pictures of dolls, etc.

Mama attended both the Episcopal Church and the Virgin Creek Congregational Church at LaPlant for Christmas services. All hymns were sang in our beautiful Lakota and Dakota language. Both of these fine ladies always went out of their way to be sure people had a nice Christmas, a special birthday, etc. They were known for their baking and cooking skills. There was always room at their tables for another person, even strangers.

Grandma Amy passed away when I was two years old, and unfortunately, I don’t remember her. Mom’s stories keep her memory alive. This is Mom’s eighty-fifth (85th) Christmas and she cherishes all the good times she has shared with family and friends.  Everything Mama and Grandma Amy did together was done with a lot of laughter and love.

Happy Holidays!

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