Forever Grateful

This photo is nearing two years old, but I love it so much! That is my mother with my granddaughters! She is so beautiful, don't you think?  Well, what you see is just the surface. She is even more beautiful on the inside!

I will forever be grateful that this woman is my mother. She protected my childhood, encouraged my independence, supported my endeavors and always, always, always made me feel loved.

But I am just one person. Mom managed to pour out this unconditional love into all her children, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren. It doesn't matter which she is talking to, but they all know she finds them delightfully special.

This woman taught me to be a mother.  More than that, she taught me to be a woman. By her example I learned a woman can be strong yet compassionate.  I learned a woman can fully support other's interests while still nurturing her own talents. It is also through my mother that I learned of God and the gift of faith offered to me. This is the gift that is the backbone of my life.

I will forever be grateful for the legacy she has passed on to me, the legacy of love, compassion, generosity and most importantly, faith

Remembering Cordelia's Compassion

I've spent about the last hour going through some old posts. I kind of liked one I wrote about compassion.  Maybe you'd like to read it. Please click here.

Wasn't she just so cute!?

Just a few more days and then I will tell you what I'm celebrating!

Compassion

 Compassion...

There is NOT enough compassion in this world.

Why are some people so very caring and others only interested in themselves?

At what age does compassion begin?

Is it a learned trait?

Genetic?

Do we all develop compassion and then some lose it?

Or do some just never develop compassion?

What do you think?

I don't know all the answers but I do know that it can begin at quite a young age.

Cordelia is not quite 22 months old but she seems to have a sense of compassion. 

Remember my wounded shin?  It's not been all that painful and I often forget that it is there.  Cordy, however, has been quite concerned...perhaps even obsessed.

(Just in case you've forgotten)

Cordelia also found a little scratch on my other leg.  She'd point to that one and say, "Little Owie."  She'd then move to the leg with stitches, point and say with a bigger voice, "BIIIIG Owie!"  Then, she'd look me in the eyes with her face sweetly concerned and say, "Be careful!"  Or maybe something more like, "Be caowful!"

Her Name is Grace

My Mom's name is Grace.  I don't know how her parents could have known who she would become but they gave her the perfect name.  I looked up the word, grace, and found this meaning... elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.  It is as if the dictionary writer's knew my Mom!

This picture is her in the mid 1980's.  To her right is a photo of some of her grandchildren.  Does this woman look like anyone's grandmother? 

When I was a teenager, out with my Mom, we were often mistaken for sisters.  Maybe that should have bothered me but instead, it contributed to my pride in her.  It also made me hopeful and grateful for genetics! 

But more than her physical beauty, my Mom lives by her faith.  I don't think many realize this, but she's really the one who came up with the slogan, What would Jesus do?  Really!  When I was little, I remember her telling me that I should always try to behave how Jesus would.  She didn't just say those words, though, she lived them.  That was her greatest gift to her children.

This woman has been dealt some pretty harsh blows in life.  She's had more than her share of disappointment, but she always came up smiling.  During rough patches she displays more character than anyone I know.  She really, truly puts others first and she does so without a hint of martyr. 

Don't get me wrong.  My Mom is also a woman of strength and determination!  She is very, very smart and can accomplish anything she sets out to do.  I will tell you she can make most any shack into a beautiful home.  She infuses beauty into corners of the world that seemed to have none.  That is one of her greatest talents.  She could make her children feel secure during the most tumultuous circumstances, and she could breathe kindness into the worst of situations.

My Mom mothered more than just her own children.  All of my friends wanted to be around her more.  One of my friends referred to her as Mommy #2, not displacing her own mother but showing what my Mom meant in her life as well.  I ALWAYS knew I was special because I was HER daughter.

So, here's to the best example of womanhood I have ever encountered.  I am so very grateful for this woman who raised us and loved us unconditionally, this woman of talent and compassion, this woman of true grace... my MOM.

I love you, Mom