Last week I shared some stories about “Granny”…she was influential to my mom, my aunt, and me. She embodied the ideals of Blooms to Blossoms.
Wellness…using a practical approach to living a balanced life
Lifelong Learning…using a simple strategy to use resources available to you to better yourself
Personal Development…using a teachable moment to provide lessons learned
Granny was sharing the values she believed and lived by passing them on through her actions. These beliefs and actions are the roots (support) to develop our family branches (my mom, aunt, others, and me). Through the generational care and continuation of these beliefs Granny started the cultivation of the shoots and buds that would extend our family tree.
My mom is efficient, organized, and diligent. She is loving, caring, supportive, and always focused on helping me become a better me.
Her motto when I was growing up was “I’m hard on you because I want better for you.”
Her motto now is “laugh and make memories.”
My accomplishments make her proud. I never doubted that I could achieve any of my goals with a good plan and some effort.
Corso (2020) writing about Women’s History Month
To be told we “do something like a girl” is a compliment. I would hope I am as brave as a girl, I hope I am as resilient as a girl, I hope I am as powerful as a girl, and I am proud to be a girl.
National Women’s History month is where we appreciate being told we “throw like a girl” and we “run like a girl.” If we are throwing like a girl, we are throwing as hard as we can, and if we are running like a girl, we are running as fast as we can.
Doing something like a girl is a compliment; being a girl or woman during March is especially superior because we have a month dedicated to our strength and our bravery.
I mentioned in a prior blog a memory book my sister and I created for our parents. Below are some of the memories of mom.
Memories of Mom (some of the 70 memories from the book with current thought)
**Trick or treat for Unicef
(I did not fully understand the purpose at the time as much as I do now)
**Documenting my graduate school debt (loan) to assure complete payment
(I learned the value of money and the responsibility for paying a debt)
**Popcorn for Elaine’s trips home after a visit
(Mom always provided snacks when I drove home after visiting…I was also told to keep both hands on the wheel while driving!! Hmmmm?!?!?!)
**Ironing our workout t-shirts until we graduated high school
(Needless to say, I do not iron my workout t-shirts now but I do appreciate her effort)
**New running shoes for every birthday and Christmas
(Best gift ever…still)
**Letting me have time to run before going out for the day
(Best gift ever…still)
**Making me take piano lessons so Granny would give the piano to mom
(Still playing…both of us)
**Never (well almost never) asking too many personal questions
(Mmmmmoooooommmm, really???)
**Constantly beating me a scrabble
(I cheat and still lose…but it’s fun)
**Taking care of Granny
(“One person caring about another represents life’s greatest value.” -Rohan)
Granny and Mom were & are key in making me who I am.
They have & do encourage me.
They have been & are there for me when it matters the most.
They have & do inspire me to make my own history.
Thanks to my Granny and my Mom my motto is:
I do the very best I know how.
The very best I can and
I mean to keep doing it until the end.
“Learn from the people who have walked before you.
Respect them, because someday, and
sooner than you could ever imagine,
you are going to be old too.” Unknown