MOON HOWLING

My late mother, Madeleine L. Manson, in Indiana, became a celebrity, of sorts, by inviting twelve young divorced parents to come talk with her about their broken lives.

A young woman tenant in one of Mother's apartments spoke to Mother about her work. and about how discouraged she was. She worked at a Mental Health facility. For a number of weeks, the young woman had been conducting a class for twelve young divorced parents.

The class had been designed to help the students share their common broken lives and find ways to become whole again. The young people, however, had lost their trust in other people and weren't able to share their feelings.

Mother told her tenant, "Bring your group to my house and let me talk with them." (Mother's house, set way back in trees, was hard to find, so only six came at the appointed time.) Mother talked to them in a way that brought a response from the young people. With such a small group they became acquainted quite easily.

When the second group found Mother's home, they caught the spirit at hand. With Mother's quiet way of talking with them,, they began to participate also.

At the end of the time, the young people said, "This has been so enjoyable. Could we come again?"

Mother told me that she said, "My husband and I had child's play with the full moon. We would go outdoors and howl at it."

"If you want to come on the next full moon, and bring your own refreshments, serve those and clean up afterwards, then come along, and we'll howl."

Howling at the full moon and comradeship went on at my Mother's home for years. Often thirty, mostly young to mid-age people, came each month. They brought their own refreshments, served them, and cleaned up. When I came to visit, Mother laughed and said, "I make them a little clam dip once in awhile."

It wasn't long until my mother gained local fame from the moon howls. Even the town's mayor and other officials came by to say hello and to howl.

On one occasion, Mother, in a large facility, presided over a civic Moon howl to raise money for charity. 600 people attended.

Once she was patched into a national network of stations. She talked about her moon howls. She said, "My pleasure is to bring young people together to make friends.

The radio station called me that night to talk to Mother, too. She was surprised to hear me. At the end of the program, the emcee told his listeners, " Mad has a birthday coming up. She'll be 86. If any of you listeners might like to do so, send Mad a birthday card, in care of her home in Indiana. I'll give an address at the end of the program.

Mother's house is now gone. The town is reclaiming the land for a complex of low rent housing.

A year earlier, my brother Joe, and his wife Carolyn invited Mother, whose health was failing, to make her home with them. With busy lives of their own, that was most kind of Joe and Carolyn. Earlier, when Mother visited me, I invited her to come live with me. She said, "This wouldn't be home." Now Mother was with family, where, she would be safe.

In December, 1987, I went to Indiana for a visit. Mother had celebrated her birthday a few months earlier, but had much to show me. In response to the suggestion of her radio host, she had received cards and presents from people in 39 states.

Mother said once to her "moon-howlers" "There is one wonderful gift I'll have from you all. Every time you look at a full moon, there's a chance you'll remember me. Wherever I am, I'll be glad.
Marylee Manson Armour
April 24,2007