There she is folks...Paulette Darlene. Isn't she beautiful? The black and white pic does not highlight her greatest physical attribute...that beautiful red hair which is all I can look at in this picture.
And the little girl in that picture...look like anyone else you know?
When I think of my mother, the only thing that I can do is smile. I have heard the stories and can only imagine the horror of teenage girls and their mothers. If my mother were to tell the story, I'm sure she would say it was pure horror, but with the exception of a few instances, my mother has always and will always be my best friend. Now, this is not to say that we're perfect...NO WAY, but we have rarely fought. I think some of those horror stories fell sometime around this picture...
Mi madre, Red, P, Sis, and Mamie are all names you can call her, but the one that sticks with me through all is "Child of God". That mother of mine is one god-fearing, Christ seeking, and prayer stomping lady. Hence, the reason I call her everyday and tell her all my problems. If anyone has a connection with the big guy, its gotta be her. She's also one of the most thoughtful ladies I know and gives the best hugs at just the most perfect times. She has this unique gift of making you do what she wants you to do without knowing its what SHE wanted you to do. Hence, my whipped dad...she says he's spoiled...I beg to differ :) Most girls don't get this lucky...to have an amazing woman to look up to first as a woman, and then a wife and mother, not to mention servant of our king.
Mind you...she cheated horribly...yep I'm callin' her out. If you think she did this job of "mothering" on her own, you're nuts...plain buck nutty! Nope she relied heavily on her femme posse (pictured below) with some poor pitiful chaps who committed a lifetime to these ladies stubborn and crazy ways...
Pictured above are my aunties and grammies...that is one group of mother lovin' ladies. The lessons are endless, but I'll share a few...1. Let him wear the pants, just tell him which ones to wear...
2. Get yourself a signature dish and stick with it...Aunt Lynda's is banana pudding...Gramma D is Razzle Dazzle (among many others) and of course, my mama's is infamous Chocolate Chip Cookies.
3. Don't overcook...you'll never run out of food...and if you do they'll leave earlier anyway.
4. Your hairdresser is your best friend. You must change your hair color/style regularly...it keeps things interesting.
5. Love is unconditional...you can pitch fits, throw temper tantrums and kick and scream, but the LOVE never goes away.
On the close of this Mother's Day, I must say thank you. Thanks for loving me and showing me love. Thanks for spending time with me so that I may spend time with others. Thanks for praying on your knees for my soul so that I may pray for those in need. But most importantly, thank you for showing me the essence of Women...STRONG, BEAUTIFUL, NURTURING, FAITHFUL...These are all words that I live and strive by daily.
Today when Robbie asked me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day, I said "Nothing". And although it was more than "nothing", it was definitely a day doing just want mommy wanted.
We Gardened
We Even Drew Mommy
And with that, I spent the afternoon with my two little "best friends" doing what mom's do best: repeating instructions, cleaning up messes, and breaking up arguments...all with a little love and patience thrown in.
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