For Mother's Day

I don't usually get too sentimental on here, but since it's Mother's Day and all, I wanted to write a little about the three women who have influenced the person I've become -- my mother and my grandmothers.

Last month when my family visited we happened to run into someone I know on the bus. I introduced her to my family and when I got around to my mother she said, "And of course I can see this is your mother."


Good looks are not the only thing I've gotten from my mother. She taught me to be generous with my time and always hospitable. Many of my interests -- sewing, baking, crafting -- are things that I saw my mother doing when I was young.


Me with a birthday cake my mom baked and decorated. I had several bunny themed parties because Easter sometimes falls near my birthday.



My wedding cake. Mom was almost late to the wedding because of the cake. But she made it just in time and the cake looked (and tasted) fantastic. :)
My grandmothers have also been a great encouragement and influence in my life. It wasn't until rather recently that it occurred to me that not everyone's grandmothers look like they could be sisters.


Me and my grandmothers at my high school graduation in 1998.
My mom's mom is such a strong woman who, like my own mom, is generous with everything she has. My sisters and I loved spending time at her home when we were young -- sometimes bringing friends along. When we were teenagers, she let us bring our church youth group -- probably about 20 teenagers -- to her home in the country for the weekend. She's also sensible. When I was diagnosed with diabetes she bought me a Medic-Alert necklace. She also brought me flowers because my cousin told her that her gift was a bit too practical. :) One of the best parts about visiting her home was the food. There are certain foods that I will always associate with Nanny -- purple hull peas, squash casserole, and chocolate pie. And she had such a distinctive way of making scrambled eggs that they became known as Nanny-eggs. (I'm pretty sure the secret was using lots and lots of sausage grease.) Not only was she a great cook, but she always had Oatmeal Creme Pies, Fudge Rounds, and Star Crunch cookies. Oatmeal Creme Pies will forever be linked to Nanny in my mind.


Nanny and me in 2007.
My dad's mom lived much further away and we didn't get to visit her often. But we loved to visit her. My sisters and I would join her for her morning walks and sometimes I would catch small frogs near the pond behind her house. Once I accidentally let about 20 tiny frogs loose in her basement and my dad and I had to find every one of them. (I don't think I was supposed to have them in the house, but fortunately I knew how many we had to find since I had just finished counting them.)


I have no idea when this photo was taken. My guess is around 1988.
One of my favorite things about Nana is her free spirit. Once when I was a teenager I was complaining to my dad because he didn't want me to wear shorts to church on Wednesday night, but I couldn't stop laughing because Nana was standing behind him dancing around in her shorts (well, koolats) that she was planning on wearing to church. And several years ago when I showed her the photos of the scooter I had just bought she said that she could imagine herself driving one.

I've really enjoyed thinking about over the years and reflecting on how these three women have shaped my life. I will be eternally grateful for everything they have done for me.