On This Mother's Day

Yesterday at a brunch with Octamom the topic was Proverbs 31. It was an oracle from King Lemuel's mother (actually possibly Bathsheba to her son King Solomon) describing the kind of woman he should be looking for. Different ladies at the brunch were identified as representing each characteristic from the scripture. It was very touching, and it got me thinking about important women in my life. Although my mother is very important to me, recently her sister - my Aunt Rose - passed away and I began to reflect on the impact her life had on me.

14She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises.

She always had the best gifts. She always knew exactly what to give you. She loved to shop and find interesting things. That is how she and I spent a good portion of our time together. We were like great hunters searching for the perfect scarf or accessory to go with some other wonderful bargain.

16She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.

After her husband passed away around 2007, she packed up her belongings and moved to Texas from NY. She bought a house, had it fixed up and developed a garden that can't be compared to any other. People who didn't even know her would stop by her corner cottage just to see her garden. She gladly shared her back yard full of roses and trees with them. When we were having her estate sale, many people came by to visit her son and me to share their condolences. Many of them said they met her because of her beautiful yard. When I bought my house I worked really hard to work on my yard like her, but that was one gene I didn't inherit.

19She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.

Rose was a gracious hostess. She opened her home to people for dinners and when they came, regardless of their station in life, they were treated like kings and queens with perfectly appointed tables decorated for season or theme. She made the best homemade cakes and remembered which flavor was your favorite for your birthday. Everywhere you looked in her house you find some little something she had changed just for the upcoming holiday. She would make her own wreaths to hang on her door and even drew pictures on her windows to go with season.

22She makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks.... 25Her clothes are well-made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.

When I was a teenager, she and I spent summers together. Many times she and I would decorate denim jackets with bling, hats with flowers or t-shirts with paint. Some of the people from her church who came to visit our sale remembered her as a beautiful lady who was always dressed impeccably, perfectly accessorized every time they saw her. She was the epitome of grace and style. When I first began working, she ensured I was always put together. This is something that has stuck with me throughout the years.
Nanny, as my children called her, loved all things beautiful. She made the world around her lovely for everyone around her. As I look at the person I am becoming, I realize that there is a good portion of my aunt in me. I just wish we could have kept her around just a little longer. Meanwhile, she is probably busy in heaven making everyone comfortable at the dinner table.