Five Generations of Incredible Women

Mothers, Daughters, and Grandmothers

What makes a mother?

Love, yes…lots of love.

Patience, for sure.

A heart that expands as her family grows, and even more as her children grow up to be both bigger and farther away.

But it’s more than just the blessing of being a mother to littles who look like you and learn from you and grow up to become either just like you—or nothing like you!

It’s the loneliness of trying to conceive, or trying to protect a little life who doesn’t make it.

It’s the heartache of watching a child you love pull away, sometimes even all the way away, until the relationship seems to be irreparable and forever lost.

Sometimes, it’s the guilt of trying to be a good mother and failing. Of falling into bad generational habits. Of being so tired of trying that you disappear—either into yourself or into the world. And by doing so, you create another layer of trauma to be passed down.

It’s working three jobs as a single mom to provide for the most precious and precocious toddler, who is also forced to grow up way too fast because there’s not much time for coddling. (Cuddling, yes, but not coddling.)

It’s teenagers who don’t want anything to do with you—until they become a mother themselves and realize how very wise their mother actually was!

It’s the bittersweetness of watching your son or daughter chase their dreams, no matter how far it takes them. Of seeing them fall in love with their life, with their spouse, and with their own children.

And it’s thanking God every single day for the gift of being their mother.

For our current three generations (which, up until 22 years ago, had five generations of women!), it’s a mix of many of these. But in this season, it’s making as many memories as we can because we know that every day we have together is a blessing. It’s being aware that one day, we’ll look back and all we’ll have are the memories.

So, we enjoy garden parties and shopping sprees and even getting tattoos together. We travel together and dress in matching outfits. We laugh loudly at inside jokes, and then laugh even harder at the funny looks we get from strangers. We pray for each other when we are together and when we are spread across continents.

And, more than anything, we love each other. Yes, there’s lots and lots and lots of love.