Lessons Learned from the Mothers in my Life

With today being Mother's Day I began to reflect on my mother and grandmothers and the impact they have had on me. There are valuable lessons I learned from each of them.

The Grandmother I was the closest with was my dad's mom Ida, better known as Miss Doll or Doll Baby to her siblings. She lived with us for many years through out my life. I loved spending summers with her and my cousins at her home in Grapeland, Texas. Her furniture was always French Provincial, which is now my favorite style; her gardens always bloomed with beautiful flowers, herbs, peppers and watermelon; and her cooking is why I am who I am today. The classic recipes for dinners and desserts she taught are the ones I still use today. as well as the short cuts she showed me are what I use to make these meals with my busy schedule.

My mother's mom, Grandma Chris, was always stylish. Her sewing machine was always set up and ready. She made a lot of her own clothes and you could never tell it was not from a department store. I used to love going through her spools of thread and fabric, wishing I could sew an outfit together as she could. My favorite story is of how she would come home from her bridge games and sew an outfit in minutes before heading out to her social club. The pictures would be just as glamorous as any thing found in a magazine.

Clockwise: Grandma Ida, my mother, my brother Tony, myself, Granda Chris; 1985

My mother is originally from Detroit and I spent a lot of time there as a child. One of my most fondest memories is the time spent with family at my Great-Grandparents home. My Grandma Owens seemed to live in the kitchen. Breakfasts of grits, eggs and bacon in the downstairs kitchen was everlasting. No matter how many of us showed up there was always plenty of food to go around. And you were always asked if you wanted to eat when you arrived. Not knowing how exhausting cooking was at the time I didn't realize how hard it was to feed so many of us, so often. But she did it with a smile. I try my best today to be as gracious as a host as she was to us when we came through her door.

Left to Right: Big Mama, Grandma Owens

The classiest woman I have ever met in life was my Big Mama, my mother's paternal grandmother. She always seemed so reserved. She had the most calming smile and voice. From the photos of her as a young lady enjoying the beaches of Idlewild to her style and poise. She reminds me that life is not about what environment your from but how you carry yourself.

And my very own mother, Berenda. She has taught me that you have to enjoy your life. She travels often and fills her days with doing the things she really loves. She realizes that to be good to others you have to also be good to yourself. I often have to remind myself to reserve some time and energy to enjoy and refresh from my day to day task.

I love all these women and I am grateful for the roles they all have played in my life. As I enjoy my Mother's Day I am also reminded how blessed I am to have had these women mold me.

Happy Mother's Day to you all!