2010 was a strange year in many ways. But for my family it’s ended on a massive high.
I woke this morning to the shock news that Janet Mary Howitt – my mum (pictured) – has been awarded an MBE for services to people with visual impairment and to the community in Devon. Of course, the short blurb in the Guardian (one whole sentence!) doesn’t do a life’s work justice, and lots of people have asked me what she did, so I’m going to try and summarise it here, and of course because I am immensely proud.
My mum worked all her life as a speech therapist. This is not the same thing as elocution lessons teaching people how to speak proper: she was a mechanic to the voice boxes of people with serious speech impediments. If you ever lose your voice you can maybe glimpse the terror of not being able to speak for yourself: often as the result of a stroke or pure accident of nature, you stammer or your speech is slurred so that people assume you are deficient in other ways.
The job calls for the fusion of science, art and care: speech is a highly technical thing, and sufferers often lost confidence along with their voices. My mum worked to rebuild the confidence of her patients as well as their speech: many of them went on to become her friends. Often beyond the call of duty she acted as advocate to many who couldn’t persuade the system of their needs themselves. And she acted as counsellor to those who struggled emotionally to come to terms with their loss of voice.
For several decades she plugged away at the gaps in the NHS and started to build a second voluntary career in her spare time. For ten years she led a team, primarily in Sidmouth but also at the Exeter Northcott, providing audio descriptions of plays for the visually impaired so that they could enjoy the performances as much as everyone else. She read talking books for Calibre. For twenty years she volunteered for Exmouth Talking Newspaper, a service that is a vital lifeline for many people to get their local news in a form they can actually use. She also set up and acted as co-ordinator to a self-help group for some of the people she had helped who had had strokes.
So this award reflects a whole lifetime of service to people who really needed it. In a world where people can get knighted just for extorting shedloads of money out of others, this proves there is at least some sanity left in the system. And I want to say this: for every person honoured, there are hundreds of thousands just as worthy out there who didn’t. An award is partly the result of well-connected friends and supporters, not just the value you add. Service is of course a reward in itself, so don’t volunteer for stuff because you might get recognised by the government (chances are you won’t): do it for the itch you want to scratch, and you’ll build a network of goodwill stretching further than you can imagine.
Finally, I’m writing this because I have just about worked out that she will never now learn to use a computer. My mum has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of dementia and thankfully this award has arrived in time for her to understand just how much love for her there is in the world. When I saw her yesterday she was overwhelmed by the sheer number of messages of congratulation that came through and she is finally realising just how many people love her.
Whatever I do in my life from now on, I’ll never be as awesome as my Mum. So on New Year’s Eve 2010, this one’s for her. I am proud and honoured to be her son and I couldn’t have had a better mother, friend and role model. Happy New Year, Janet Mary Howitt MBE.
Lovely piece Poppo xx
Wow that was awesome Pops. I did not know you could write so passionately and sensitively. Bought a tear to my eye.
Bless ya kid. Took me ages and hundreds of edits. Was probably better the first time I wrote it off the cuff! :o)
I found your piece via a re-tweet from a friend and just wanted to say that it is a wonderful and moving piece of writing. Well done. She sounds a very worthy MBE.
Thank you! I think that it is easier to write when you really care about something, and people seem to enjoy it more as well. I don’t think that’s a coincidence 🙂
what an inspiration your mother is martin, with great cause
to make to proud,its wonderful for her to be recognised in this
way. my sister, mary, and i are thankfully also proud of our mum,
margaret, she has always been our true inspiration
Goodness, what a story. God bless your mum.
Hi Poppo
Wow, I’ve got a huge lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I will always remember your mum as being a very special person and it was lovely to catch up with your folks a couple of years ago with Cooky at their house. Her award is very well deserved. My mum has Alzheimers and is now in a home. Her demise has been much slower than Myrtles but believe me I know what you are going through. Love Vicks x
I stumbled across this post of Martin’s via a very circular route, and I’m very glad that I ened up here. Every single day is an opportunity to hug the Mom’s in our lives and share that we love them.
How lovely it is that Martin has shared these memories of his Beloved Mum as a a person in her own right?
Wishing the very best Health, happiness & Harmony to you and yours, Martin.
Martin,
Thank you for sharing your Mum’ stories with us. She looks & sounds like a formidable character we’d like to learn from. I see much to aspire to and admire in her smile.
I also recognize a joyous willfulness in the pictures you’ve posted. She loved living fully and has passed that passion on to you.
So timely. I suspect that your Mum has been a Warrior?
Your are, too, and she’d be very touched and proud of that.
A warrior? I suppose in a way, yes. Quite odd to think of us that way. But we can fight if needed, although she is rather more effective than me I think 🙂
I was in a play with Janet in 2007. It was The Importance of Being Earnest at The Blackmore Theatre in Exmouth. Janet was Lady Bracknell and I was her daughter Gwendolyn. Mostly in amateur theatre you do plays no-one has heard of so if you mess it up no-one knows. When you do Oscar Wilde however the audience knows all the words – and they certainly know all of Lady Bracknell’s words! Janet knew the weight of the play was on her shoulders and she carried it off with grace and style. Essentially she WAS the play and we just orbited around her. So so glad to find out she got this well-deserved recognition.
Thanks for adding that one into the mix Kelly. I remember that play and the way she carried it off. So much so that afterwards I watched the film with (I think) Judy Dench doing the Lady Bracknell part and thought “my mum is soooo much better..” 🙂
You posted these pics on Twitter
http://www.blackmoretheatre.co.uk/prevprod/Earnest/contents.htm
ah…..
What a beautiful story about your amazing mom! I just stumbled upon this while I was researching the Howitt side of my family. I know it’s a long shot but is your dad named Bill and was his dad Bill as well?