Influential Women in My Life

Today ... Mother's Day 2014 ... I want to share a little about some very influential women in my life.  Each of them had a special role that only they could fulfill in helping me to become the woman -- wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt -- that I am today.  

These women ... 

... my Granny and her daughters (my Mother & my Aunts) -- along with another Aunt (my Mother's sister-in-law from her brother) --- I know, I'm not very proficient at family tree descriptions.

I've written in many posts what a close-knit family I had growing up.  And although I've been away from "home" for almost 

30 years, I still enjoy the closeness of my relationship with my family hundreds of miles away. 

These women in the picture all gathered around my Granny ... my Mother is sitting on Granny's lap and is surrounded by her sisters.  My Mother and my Granny were the primary women to take care of me. 

With both my parents working 2 full-time jobs each, they juggled home and work-life ... Mother would take me to work with her sometimes on Saturdays when I was a little girl and then she & my Daddy would take me for an ice cream cone (no Baskin Robbins, Dairy Queen or any other "chain" ... but I looked forward to Broughton's every chance we had to go there).  My parents and I lived with my Granny and youngest aunt until our house was built just "up the hill" from Granny's house. Every night after I brushed my teeth and washed my face, my Mother and I would kneel together and pray. It would our special time together to chat about our day and talk to God.

My Granny was the one who basically was my "go to" ... she was a widow several months before I was born ... she was a pillar in our community and in our church ... she never knew a stranger & would invite anyone in need into her home ... she took care of her family and her friends.  Granny and Mother were probably 2 of the most unselfish people I've ever known in my entire life ... 

as were my aunts ... 

I had a very blessed and "privileged" childhood ... growing up surrounded by my Granny, aunts, uncles and cousins ... each of them gave me a piece of them that has carried me through to this point of my life -- 

... now I'm a Granny ...

... my values, my beliefs, my heritage ... all rolled into my daughter and her family.  I can see my heritage in her and in my grandchildren.  She has always been close to my family -- her great aunts & uncles -- she carries the name of her great-aunt who became our guardian angel almost 34 years ago -- she was my Granny's first great-granddaughter whom she saw for a short couple of months before Granny's faith became sight.  

And our little Lucy carries the name of her great-great Granny ... 

my beloved Granny.

I see traits in each of "my girls" and in Tag that come from the influential women in my own life.  I see our heritage continue throughout these next generations ...

and my heart is filled

And so ...

to those who are mothers today ... 

I pray you have had a blessed Mother's Day that has been Christ-centered and family-loved

to those who are role-models and support systems ... 

I pray that you know how influential you are to those whom you surround

and to all of us women (mothers or not) ... 

I pray that each of us will come to the realization that we don't have to have everything figured out ahead of time as long as we indulge in the abundance of God's amazing Grace

~~~ Wishing each of you a blessed week ~~~