(Our 4 generations photo when my eldest daughter was only a few weeks old.)
For many of us it is a shock when we finally realize and must admit we are like our mothers. For others we strive to be JUST like them because of our overly positive perception of the woman who raised us.
I just might be a little unique in my willingness to let my mother and my grandmother inspire who I am, mostly because I have been like this all my life, yes even through my teen years! I had to learn to just be myself when keeping up with my ‘perfect mom ideals’ became impossible and yet I am pleased to see areas where Mom and Grandma Smith have directly added to who I am. My children already are unlike me in so many ways, and like me in other ways. Perhaps my daughters will not be as excited to spend a whole Saturday at formal teas and yard sales with their mom and grandmother. Perhaps they will not be so thrilled to dress in vintage and second hand attire. But then again, perhaps they will like those things.
Stuff is stuff… however, their stuff, my moms and my grandmothers, reminds me of our similarities and I LOVE TO BE REMINDED OF THAT! My house is speckled with stuff that reminds me of them and my heart is as cluttered with memories of them.
(A photo of best friends! My grandmother and her aunt Ruth, taken the summer I got engaged when I stayed with them for a while. I can’t leave Aunt Ruth out of a conversation about my clans women!
LINK HERE!)There is a warm feeling in my heart when ever I wear my grandmothers clip on earrings. I enjoy her cheery yellow bread box and take pride in using her bread bowl to make my weekly batch. Her hands pounded down the dough in that bowl!
The red apron Mom made me is just like the yellow one she always put on and so I feel like a REAL mom when I wear it. 
I buy my pants from her favorite shop because she is right, they are so comfy and sharp looking! When she tells me it is okay, she made the same errors as a mom I realize there is hope! I don’t remember her screwing up, I have so much grace toward the women in my clan… I pray my girls will be the same.
When I look in the mirror and see my mother I am thankful. I look, hoping, to see my grandmother too… When I say something one of them always said I chuckle and hope that means I am tough and yet feminine like they where.
As much as I have put my own stamp on this families female collection I realize deep down I still like to try and be like my mom and my grandma…
P.S.
For more related links CLICK HERE and HERE and not to leave my mom out of the link thing, HERE🙂
TTFN
(My Dad and his eldest daughters.)
(There they are! MY FOUR SIBLINGS! Funny thing about this picture is I am pretty sure Jesse is the tallest of the five of us and he is sitting while the other three try to look like the tallest!)
(ALWAYS wanted sisters!)
(Kathleen and Amber catch up on their big sister duties, poor Jesse…)
(Amber being a bossy big sister… well actually we where playing some ridiculously embarrassing game the first time we got together, to help lighten the mood I suppose! Too fun really!)
(Sibling love, at our first rock concert together! The first rock concert is very important when getting to know family!)
