Our Family of Women-Folk

We've been having a very hectic schedule for the past few weeks.  Our son-in-law is in the middle of appointments with the VA which will eventually lead to his military medical retirement (well, after possible months of review-time) ... I've been back & forth between our two houses to hang out with our grands during some of the appointments ... and we have an upcoming weekend of appointments, dance recital rehearsal & Mother's Day. All I can say is ...

except for God.

 

 

Even in the midst of the chaos & the hectic ... I get clear visions on the "how" it all gets done.  I know that God simply carries us through each moment.  Dan and I stand in complete awe of how our daughter carries the load everyday ... every single day.  'Joe's appointments -- Lucy's homeschooling -- Tag's preschool development -- caregiver meetings -- advocating for fair treatment
of wounded warriors & their families -- never-ending list.
 But ...

except for God.

 

 

You see, God knew the exact family and the exact lineage of women-folk that our daughter would need to come from.  And here's what I know of our family of women-folk ...

We are women who depend daily on our Lord & Savior to carry us in each moment and to direct every step that we take.

We are women who do not shy away from sacrifices or hard work.

We are women who know that for every crisis we go through, we are blessed ten-fold beyond by God and His faithfulness.

We are women who acknowledge that everything we are is because of God Almighty.

We are women who put God first in our lives.

We are women who are courageous to follow His path every day and to still be ready to meet our family needs.

We are women of strength because we know that our strength comes from God.

We are women who know our purpose here on Earth is much more than getting through each day.

We are women of faith in God.

We are women who walk through the fire and know that He is walking along side of us with each and every step ...

and when the fire gets too hot for us to move forward --- we know that He carries us through it.

 

As I approach this Mother's Day weekend, I'm reminded that in the middle of family ... schedules ... work ... hectic ... unknown ... waiting ...

 

God simply

is


 

And our future women-folk ...

 

 

will follow in our very footsteps

and they will learn from us who have gone before them

and we pray they will depend on God Almighty for their own strength & direction

 

...

 

just as the generations of women-folk who came before them.

 

 

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 ~~~

Prayer and Relationships

I thank God everyday for my Mother.  I've learned so much from her, and I'm still learning from her.  One of my earlier childhood memories is my Mother praying with me every night.  We would go into a closed room and she would guide me in praying ... for our family, our community, the sick, the hungry ... every night we prayed together.

I owe my prayer life today to the early teaching of my Mother. 

My Mother also has shown me the meaning of relationships.  In order to have a relationship with someone, I need to invest my time and energy as well.  My Mother has always made time to build and strengthen her relationships ... and now she is G-G to our little Lucy.  And trust me, Lucy always makes sure that she talks to her G-G everyday! (And hearing G-G's voice on the answering machine just does not count at all.)

Now, if I go on and on too much about my Mother, I'm sure that I will hear about it somehow.  Mother doesn't like any fuss over her nor is she the "showy" kind.  She just lives her life everyday as God directs.  I'm very thankful to Him for blessing me with my Mother. 

Happy Mother's Day, Mother ~~~ I love you!

Four generations in '08 ... priceless.

Mother with her grandchildren & great-granddaughter '08