I can't even begin to imagine what that must feel like. I don't want to. My mom is my everything. There is no life without her.
I've been putting off writing a blog about my grandma, just waiting for the right time & wondering if I even should, but what better time than on Mother's Day?
My grandmother's full name was Shirley Ann Shroyer. The name Shirley means bright grassland. She was from Indiana. If you've never been there, let me tell you, it is nothing but bright grassland-flat and full of fields. It was here in the heartland that she learned to cook and clean and to have faith in God. She passed on all these skills and values to her children, and her grandchildren. There was nothing like a home cooked meal from scratch at Grama's house. She taught us how to make noodles from scratch for beef and noodles. She taught us to husk and blanche corn. She was a talented cake maker and decorator. She made wedding cakes and many of our birthday cakes as kids. The best memories though, were made when we grandkids all came together every year to bake Christmas sugar cookies. That was another beautiful thing about my grandmother, she included everyone. Whether you were blood related or not, you were family to my grandma. She included everyone and shared her wisdom with us all. In fact, a few of us grandkids have plans to continue on the cookie baking later this year with the great-grandkids. We know she'll be there in spirit.
My grandma, Shirley Ann Shroyer, was full of S.A.S. but she knew God's love, she showed God's love by always treating everyone like family, and she shared God's love with all she encountered. That is what I'll always remember about my grandma and what I'll carry on with me into the world.
For several weeks now something has reminded me nearly every day now of how not only lucky, but truly blessed I am to have her as my mother, teacher, and guide in life. Everyday I see people who don't have as close a relationship with their mother's, if they have one at all. I was talking to someone the other day about laundry, and they didn't really know much about how to do it. At the end of our conversation they said, I was lucky as a kid, I never really had to do laundry. I walked away thinking, no... I'm the lucky one here. I have the means to take care of myself. From the time I was about ten years old I was taught how to do my own laundry, and to plan meals for the household. Heck, even before I could read I had a chore list for my room using only pictures, i.e. a picture of a made bed to make my bed, and a picture of a toy box to pick up my toys etc.
My mother is a genius and a saint. She is the reason my life is worth living. I am more than beyond blessed to have her in my life. I love you Mommy. thank you for always guiding my steps, catching me when I fall, and proving God's love to me through the example of your enduring, limitless love. Happy Mother's Day.
Shirley Ann Shroyer