To All of the Women in My Life

Today is Mother's Day and as I reflect on my own life, there have been a few women in my life whom stand out to me....

• Each Sunday, my father would pick us up and take us to our grandmother's for Sunday dinner.  I remember each week she would prepare a huge meal down to the pies and cakes for her large brood.  The women would clean up the kitchen after the meal while the men were in various stages of talking or napping around the house. We children would run around the farm, climbing trees and generally getting into trouble.  My grandmother was a sweet, soft-spoken woman who willingly served her family this way.

• My mother worked long, long hours as a single mom but I do remember her always making a large Saturday morning breakfast.  Apple fritters were at the top of the list.  I also recall numerous Halloween costumes being sewn for me as a child. She read to us and instilled a desire for education in me. She taught us to be responsible and to follow through on what you say you will do.

• In a day and age when women didn't work outside the home, my maternal grandmother went to a trade school and learned woodworking and made her own furniture, and started a business. She wrote a book, poems and other things. She had a great head for business. 

• My pastor's wife while I was growing up managed the kitchen of the Bible Institute that she and her husband started.  Each summer, campers would descend on the place and I spent hours in that kitchen helping with the cooking, baking, serving and cleaning up. She taught Bible studies and led small groups. She taught me many skills necessary in life.

• Our landlady in one of the apartments we lived in was from the Ukraine and I learned so many housekeeping and gardening tips from her.

• My mother-in-law was such a gentle soul who loved caring for her family. From her I learned how to be your family's cheerleader.

• There was a woman in one of our churches who taught me so many little sewing tricks, gardening tips, and how to can different food items.  It was like having my own Proverbs 31 woman in the flesh.

I have learned how to be a better wife and mother by watching some of the older women in my life. All of these women inspired and encouraged me in my own role as wife and mother, as well as being a woman in ministry. I love that all the skills I've learned from these special women are being used.   I feel a connection with all women throughout the centuries who have used their culinary, seamstress and homemaking skills to bless their families, their church, and their community. 

Today is Mother's Day and as I reflect on all of these wonderful women that I learned from, I just want to say "Happy Mother's Day" to all of the women in my life!