To Everything A Season

My Two Marvelous Moms!

This is a repeat post about my two special moms.....

Our mom (who became "Nannie" in 1981 when Justin was born) was someone very special. She was a devoted daughter, wife, mother, sister, friend, and the list could go on and on.

Of course, there are so many things to say. Mother was determined that Marilyn and I would grow up with certain skills and abilities. She provided us the opportunities to learn to sew, crochet, cook, keep house, and anything else she thought beneficial. She paid for piano lessons for several years—this did not stick for sure! I also remember coming home from school one day and being told to sit down at the kitchen table. She said, “Today, girls, we are going to learn about table settings and manners.” The table was set with her fine china, silver, etc. We proceeded to get our first lesson in proper table etiquette that afternoon.

Probably most importantly, she was determined we would be women of character.  We learned about honesty, responsibility, trust, joy and peace. She taught us by example how to serve the Lord. We weren’t dropped off at church; we went together. We went on Wednesdays, Sunday mornings, and Sunday evenings. Once a year or so, we got to skip a Sunday night to watch “The Wizard of Oz.” Woohoo!!!

Mother taught us to love people. We visited relatives and friends all the time. We went with her to the hospitals and nursing home. We genuinely loved to go and learned about ministry through her examples.

 I thank God for blessing me with a lifetime of her tenderhearted love. I thank God for the care she showed me through the years. I thank him for the closeness we enjoyed in times of laughter, tears, joy, health and pain. The Lord truly blessed me through Mother.

Edna was also a devoted wife, mother, sister, and friend. For me, she was the epitome of what a mother-in-law should be. I never had to try to even remotely understand all the mother-in-law jokes that one hears. I looked upon her as my "other mother," and she loved me as a daughter. She always exemplified those things that she knew God wanted all of us to be as a person, a wife, and a mother. She taught all of us to invest our main efforts in spending time with our families and loving God. She led by example to love and trust him. She believed you should always stand up for what you knew to be right in His sight.

Edna became affectionally known as “Ganna” when Justin, the first grandchild, was born. Her Ganna role expanded as Jenna, Matt, and Ashton were born. Then, although not by blood, she became "Ganna" to Greg and Chad as well. She never missed anything one of her grandchildren was involved in. She made almost as many basketball/baseball games, track meets, regional and state meets, choir programs, soccer games, and banquets as we the parents did. She was one of their biggest fans.

I am blessed and most grateful to have been loved by my two awesome mothers. I miss both of them dearly, but treasure the many memories. Thank you, God!