Here I stand, next to the stone marker of Margaret Pugh Croy and her husband, Jacob Croy. In Jacob’s obituary, he is honored as a “true lover of his country” having had “seven sons in the Civil War at one time.” But on this Mother’s Day, I especially wanted to honor Margaret. Imagine her angst and worry, unable to read or write any letter–if one came at all. She bore them and raised them and watched them march away. Each one came back–with hearing loss, tuberculosis, a crippled leg, torn muscles, and torn hearts. But they all came back, though two would die before her, late casualties of the conflict. My heart goes out to her this day. And to the protective arms of mothers everywhere.[i]
ON THE ROAD (Part 4) Honoring a Mother’s Sacrifice
