Today I am very lucky. I get to be with both my daughters and talk to my Mum and see her later this week. Thats pretty wonderful and I know today is a terribly hard day for those that have lost their Mums.
We are going out to lunch and I am taking some photos. Firstly this one is the girls with their Great Grandmother, my Dads Mum. They knew both their Great Grandmas well and for a good amount of time too. Having this photo out I thought to send it to Dad today and tell him how much Nan influenced me in my life. I feel all my loves of flowers, sewing, chooks, lemon trees and harvesting are from Nan B. She encouraged me in my embroidery so much!
Nan had a great outlook on life. She thought everyone was wonderful and so they were, to her! She was always happy. She made the most of everything she had. You can see the true her and her happiness in this photo I think.
This photo is of Chloe, Lucy and my Mum and my Nan (Mums Mum) with the girls. So their other Great Gran.
The girls grew up in knitted dresses made by Mum and Nan! Both were great helps to me when the girls were little.
Nana L is where I got heaps of cooking from. She cooked up for the family all the time and used a wood stove for much of it as she preferred it. Scones, roasts, soups. It was all yummy! I stayed with her and Pa a lot growing up. I also called Nan Mum. So I had two Mums sort of.
This is a photo of Nan and Mum as a baby.
This cracks me up as to me Mum looks the same now, I can see it's her!
I would never leave Chloe or Lucy with anyone other than Mum or Nan. I was assured with them.
I learned so much from Mum and my Nans. I feel I really did bind their teachings in my heart and fasten them around my neck as the verse goes.
Reading Liane's Letters she reiterates often that what we do now with our children affects the generations. It is all the most important work you can ever do. Mothering is a hard job and it never ends as long as you live. You just go on to another new stage. But the Bible verse about her children will rise up and called her blessed is true as I see it now I was blessed to have such good influences and teachers.
Here is the other thing. My Nans' are both gone now. They are with me everyday and they influenced me enormously, no doubt passing on much from their mothers. But our time with them is limited so learn as much as you can. Write it down. Ask them to write things down for you. It all becomes treasures.
Have a Happy Mothers Day. Abraham Lincoln said "I owe everything to my Angel Mother" and Mary said "from now on all generations will call me Blessed" I can understand why in both instances!
I also had such wonderful grandmotherly influence and was so grateful for all of their lessons and advice. Such a beautiful legacy. My gran was only 13 when she lost her beautiful mother. Her mother was such a strong influence to her in those short years that she remained strong in my grandmother's life for 86 years (until she passed) I never met her (of course!) but she also influenced me by what my grandmother told me of her. My grandmother gave me a photo of her mother and father on their wedding. I have it in pride of place in my bedroom. I like to honour all the other grandmothers and mother's and women in general who influenced my life as well on Mother's day. It is such as special day. Their influence remains so strongly in our hearts xoxo
ReplyDeleteThat is beautiful Kaye and that you can see your Great Grandmother influenced your life even though she was gone. Thats the power of Motherhood. I feel the influence of my Great Grandmother via Nana as well and the things she told me and her Bible and notes. I am very thankful to the work those women did boy they didnt have it easy.
DeleteI am so happy that you had such a wonderful Grandmother and I know you are a wonderful Mother yourself.xxx