MY HERO----MY MAMA!!!!

                HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!
      TO THE GREATEST MOM A GIRL COULD HAVE!!!

"Oh AMY ROCHELLE ___________"
    I so wish I could hear those words right now in person (even though when said like that, it usually meant I was in TROUBLE!)

But I find myself saying this to myself in my Mother's tone even, at times just so I could feel like she's here. :)

Sherry Glaze is a woman of MANY hats and incredible talents.  She has 154 faces (of which I've also inherited)  and 23 tones, ranging from TEACHER TONE to the infamous POOKY voice!  The Davidsons vote that Pooky's voice is the FAVE and makes alllllllll things better. 

My mother is an AMAZING woman!  She knows how to get things done!  She is actually SUPER WOMAN!!!! (or should that be WONDER WOMAN)? ! Either way,  she is ......
       A godly woman.
            A woman of strength.  
                 A woman of limitless creativity.
                      A woman of endless ENERGY (some might say with the help of her slight Caramel Drizzle and/or Diet Coke addiction.  (chase the hot drink with the cold drink to cool off :) )  yet another way I am JUST LIKE MY MAMA!!!!
                           A woman of  productivity and efficiency.
                                A woman of dedication and perseverance.
                                         A woman of FAITH.
                                              An INCREDIBLE multi-tasker.
                                                     A woman of humor (though sometimes her 3 girls would have preferred to sit and cry or pout or continue to be overwhelmed in a situation rather than "chop chop....we ain't got time for this")
                            A MIGHTY woman who can be a wife, a mother to 3 (sometimes, emotional, hormonal, but NEVER EVER difficult girls), teacher, principal, cook, housekeeper, leader, friend, counselor, listening ear, advice giver,  and problem solver ..QUICK problem solver that is, ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!!! with the help of a 2lb bag of TWIZZLERS (and according to Riley--her newly found love--BOTTLECAPS)!!!

According to my Meme, "that woman (my Mother) never stops!"  And no she does not!!  She only THOUGHT she retired!  But because of her passion and her giftings that cannot be contained, she found a few more teaching, consulting, organizing and ministry jobs to pass the time! :)  I sure hope I grow up to be just like her! 

Since entering my adventure overseas, I've told her and everyone else: "OOOohhhhh this country NEEDS my Mama! She'd have this whole educational reform in tip top shape!"  Oh how I wish she was here with me to take on this challenge! 

Mama, you are my hero.  Not only because of all of the above listed traits but because you do them so effortlessly, with so much love and passion.  There were many times I thought you were "sooooo strict"  or hard on us (like, why do I have to read books with larger vocabulary than my beloved Sweet Valley Twins/High books?)  Oh, life was so hard!  ( I think I remember hearing that a time or too, probably as I huffed and grunted totally NOT appreciating the humor you were finding in my moment!) 

Now that I am a mama, I had decided from Day 1 that I wanted to be a mother JUST LIKE YOU!!  You did it RIGHT.  You trained us up according to the Truth of His Word.  You set boundaries and stood your ground when necessary.  You brought fun and creativity.  You filled our home with music and laughter (especially when it was time for the Poppa Poppa Patch).  Long trips were either full of fun-filled packets of entertainment or a map stuck to the van wall to mark the states traveled through on our first ultra-lengthy road trip (of which I APPARENTLY don't remember ---that OR the blue van---however....we won't talk about that!  Good memories!  And have no fear---I learned my geography! OR if boredom called for desperate measures.....POOKY would make an appearance as well as Thistlehair!

Oh how I miss being a kid in your house.  However, I am thankful for the relationship that we have now as we all are older and have our own growing families.  Thank you for your wisdom.  The coffee chats. The Target-popcorn, diet coke and Twizzlers "fix-it".  Thank you for teaching us how to love our husbands well, organize a home, make life fun and creative, use time wisely, TEACH and make the most of every opportunity.  I still don't know how you did it all....nor DO IT ALL STILL!  But I love you for it more and more everyday. 

I wanna be just like you when I grow up.  I pray that my kiddos get HUGE chunks of their Meme imbedded in their little personalities.  Thank you for being YOU.  Thank you for always ....ALWAYS being there for me!  Thank you for giving me all the pieces of you------because looking at that one wedding picture of yours isn't the ONLY time I see me in you!  And I am thankful! 

THANK YOU!  
     I can't say it enough. Because, now that I am a mother, I know what it means to be one.  I also know the times hidden in the LOCKED closet  or bathroom was for my own good.....so that you could get peace and gather yourself to open that door with a smile and a hug or another 30+++++ minutes to listen to me rattle on and on and on.......

Thank you for who you are to me THEN and NOW.  I love you more than words could ever truly express.  I wish I could be there to hug you and be hugged BY you!  Sometimes, a mama's hug is all you need no matter what kind of day/moment it is.  I miss you and I am hugging you all the way from here! 

Happy Mother's Day Mama!
Amy

A TRIBUTE to my FAVORITE 95 year old WOMAN!!!

                                         CELEBRATING 95 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!
                                    ( ok. So this "blog" /tribute turned into more of a letter to  the greatest lady I've ever known.....
                                                                                     please excuse me as I may go on and on about her......... :))

This is my Meme!  Today, she celebrates 95 years of life.  And I'm on the other side of the world not able to hug her and cherish this day with her and my family. :(

However, I refuse to pout today or in this post.  I am going to CELEBRATE a woman who means the world to me!

This woman is the picture of Jesus to me.  She was a Pastor's wife and then a widow since my Daddy was 11.  She never waivered in her faith.  She has trusted the Lord through good times, poverty, grief, struggles, loneliness, moves and raising two children as a single mother. 

She is a woman of STRENGTH.
              Of GREAT FAITH.  
                         Of  ENERGY.
                              Of PERSEVERANCE.
                                     Of JOY!
                                          Of PATIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (oh how she needed it Aunt Janice :)  heehee and Rhonda..... I mean ME!!  hahahahaha JUST KIDDING!!!!)

She is a picture of the verse, He keeps in PERFECT PEACE those who trust in Him.  She never seemed rattled..... no matter how messed up or how crazy or scary life could be at times. 

 To me, she is an exact replica of the Proverbs 31 woman I've always wanted to be. 

Despite what Sunday School taught me my entire life, it took me until I was 16 to really believe that that my Meme sinned.   I mean seriously, how in the world can you sin when you live alone and don't have anyone to talk to? :)    During one of our early morning talk times, I finally asked her and she just laughed at me, humbly shared that by no means was she perfect.....(though I still had my doubts) and shared yet another book load of God's Truth and wisdom with me.

My Meme taught me many things in life.  Every summer of my childhood, my sisters and I got to spend at LEAST 2-3 weeks alone with her in Alabama.  One of my favorite summers was the year I got to stay an entire month alone with her!  She didn't waste a minute of our time together. She taught me everything from baking pumpkin and pecan pies, to sewing and cleaning a house on a daily schedule as I am serving my husband to be (keep in mind.....I think I was 11at the time!) Everything was always tied to serving my husband/family--- as UNTO THE LORD (her words to each grand-daughter was that we were created to be a HelpMATE for our husbands)......even the darn IRONING fell into that category of serving him!  She knew I didn't like ironing, so she encouraged me to change my attitude by praying for the person whose shirt I was ironing.  Who can argue with that, right?  Well...... I STILL don't like ironing.  In fact, I rely heavily upon the dryer or a Wrinkle Free Spritzer...... maybe I should go back to my roots huh???? :)  Meme, I can see you smiling and just shaking your head at me right now!

She also  tried SOOOOOO VERY HARD to teach me to be a lady.  Whether it was "a lady sits like this and always crosses her legs at the ANKLES" or "Amy, try to walk LIGHTLY.  A lady doesn't sound like an elephant when she walks." 

Oh Meme, I'm thinking I may need to stop writing this "letter" to you because I'm realizing I have failed miserably!  I really DID listen!  I promise!  My kiddos are on a daily chore rotation and ......ummm learning!  However, I must confess, my corrections or constructive criticism/teaching and training isn't always held in the soft, patient MEME tone that you gave me.  Oh and yes Meme.....apparently I still roll my eyes (or so I've been told)! But I DO serve dinner with a protein, a green and a carb--making it colorful and healthy.  I still read all the time. I try real hard not to kill my plants.  We work hard to memorize verses b/c as you've said the Truth we memorize when we are young will not leave us.  You are living proof..... today, you may not remember what you had for lunch, MUCH LESS that you ATE lunch ( me too and I'm only 37  YIKES!) but you can still quote those verses you've clung to your entire life and those sweet hymns you, Aunt Janice and Daddy used to play/sing together! 

Meme.  Here's the bottomline..... you set the standard so HIGH that any of us will just fall short. Every. Single. Time. 

I've always described you in this way:  It goes like this:  God/Jesus.... MEME....Steven Curtis Chapman ( hahahaha)  See!  That's HOW LONG I've been describing you this way---since FOREVER ago when he was our favorite Christian artist! 

It would take a very long book to tell you what you mean to me.  One of the biggest things you've taught me was to "be anxious for NOTHING...but in everything....EVERYTHING....TRUST...be THANKFUL and PRAISE HIM!

Ohhhhh the FAITH and TRUST you have had all these years....... 95 years of living......serving......smiling.....struggling.....believing......running the race God has called you to.....and NOT ONCE COMPLAINING!!!!!!

I'm so thankful for 95 years with you (actually....only 37 of those have been with me!)   REGARDLESS----it's a long time!!!  You've touched many, many lives in that time! 

Thank you for letting this chatty-cathy stay with you all those days talking your ear off allllll day.....and allllll night as I talked us both to sleep at night under the electric blanket or my favorite handmade family quilt.  I loved watching you learn to swim for the first time when you were in your 70's.  I loved our times raking leaves and picking acorns. 

I miss swinging on the porch with you and our early morning coffee time.  I really wish I was there to have a cup with you on this very special day---because Meme, I finally DID grow up and start drinking coffee! :) 

I know you don't know what facebook or blogs are, but hopefully Mama will print this out and read it to you! :)  You always said you love my letters.  So here's my birthday letter to you Meme.  I love you and thank you for WHO you are.  Thank you for your steadfast, UNWAIVERING faith.  Thank you for all you've taught me.  Thank you for being like no one I've ever known! 

Today, the other side of the world TRULY feels THAT FAR AWAY!

 I miss you and love you and wish I was there to hug you and eat yummy cake!  Oooohhhh......and thank you for alllll the new soups for the night we arrived at your house after a long day of travel and the brand new cake that was always hidden under the silver topper "hidden" behind the door for dessert!  :)

Happy Happy 95th Birthday!!!
I love you Meme!!!

Amy