“A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
It is nearly impossible to choose one woman in my family to write about when you are referring to a strong woman. I come from many women of strength and courage.
My Momma
was raised by her widowed mother in the 1930s. Her childhood
shaped her in many ways, but one of the things that stands out most
in my mind is her will. I've seen Momma literally "will"
things happen where her family was involved. Momma was a
single mother of three in the 50s; this created a bond, a dynamic
between her and her three oldest children that went deeper than any
other relationship I've ever witnessed. I was her baby, so I
got away with more than the older kids. When I was about 12,
she and Daddy went to Hawaii; when I was 39, Momma passed away, and
we discovered the letters she had written to each of us. Even
in death, Momma found a way to make sure her babies knew we were
loved, and in her typical style, she had also given each of us
instructions as to what she expected for and from us.
She loved her children with her whole heart and wanted us to have better lives than she had. It was essential to her that we be children as long as possible because "adult life" came way too soon. She made sure we got to sleep late in Summer, read every chance we got, play, and be kids. Momma was determined that each of us would be able to stand on our own feet if anything happened to her and that we knew andbelieved that we could do anything or be anything we wanted; we just had to work for it. She often said she thought she might have gone a little overboard in the self-confidence area where my brother and I were concerned. No matter what was going on in her life, her children and grandchildren were her treasures on earth, and the most dangerous thing anyone could do was to hurt one of her babies.
I remember always knowing that Momma was there for me, no matter what I needed or what was going on in my life. She was a literal "force to be reckoned with"when it came to her family. Momma's children respected and loved her; we knew we were the greatest pleasure in her earthly life. Momma prayed over us daily, and she believed, without a doubt, that God would always take care of us because He had promised her He would. She was a fierce defender of each of us and the foundation upon which we have built our lives.
While I could have chosen any woman in my family to write about this week, there was never another choice. Momma was the anchor in our lives, the calm in the storm, the sweetness of love in its purest form, a mother's love for her children.
#52ancestors