Considering the Future

As a mother of three girls, my mind often settles on thoughts of preparing hope chests for their future households. I believe it is a good thing to have these essentials(and not so essential) items ready for that day that they walk down the isle a "Mrs." and no longer bearing our last name. I've read a book here or there about what is good to put in the hope chest and have much to think on.

Now of course my daughters are all young...though Fiona is fast approaching young womanhood and I must truly begin preparing her. Her sisters will swiftly be at the same stage...much as I hate to admit that they grow up quickly. The material(linens, dishes, etc.) things are good for certain, but I am also realizing that there are non-material things(skills, knowledge, etc.) that are also important for them to know, to aide them in their vocation of wife/helpmate and mother.

I came across this lovely post by Breezy over at a bowl of moss and pebbles on just this subject and it really got me thinking again about what I would like to encourage my daughters in learning. There are many things I wish I'd taken the time to learn when I was young, but now I have the opportunity to help my daughters in their focus. I pray the Lord gives me the wisdom to guide them and gives them the motivation and desire to learn useful skills!

I do hope you enjoy the post and are given some ideas for your daughters' futures!

Blessings,

Sommer

Happy Mother's Day

"We never know the love of the parent until we become parents ourselves."
~Henry Ward Beecher

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."
~Washington Irving




"A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them."
~Victor Hugo




"There's nothing like a mama-hug."
~Adabella Radici




"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life."
~Abraham Lincoln

"


Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together."

~Pearl S. Buck




Happy Mother's Day to all my dear friends! May your day be full of blessings.

Blessings,

Sommer

A Poem For My Mother

**I want to share a poem I wrote for my Mom quite a while ago. I wrote it in 1996 and gave it to her as a Mother's Day gift(or maybe it was her birthday...hmmm, can't recall!)**

Mother's Love

A terrified girl

On tan, slender legs

Stands unsure of

Her way home.

Through a veil of tears

She recognizes the sure stride of Mother.

The sight eases all fear.

Mother is there.

A sad young woman

With a broken heart

Stands fearful of her future,

Uncertain of her way home.

Through hurt pride

She sees Mother,

A sturdy shoulder to lean on.

Mother is there.

Now a woman

Strong, yet timid with each step,

Stands proudly next to Mother.

She knows her way home,

Thankful for all her love and help.

Mother is there.

By Sommer Sorenson(1996)

Celebrating Mothers-My Mom

To join in in celebrating the women in your life, go HERE and add your link to Keri's little linky thing.

Today, I'm focusing on the most important woman in my life....my Mom :-)

My Mom was raised in a small town called Sutter Creek, the eldest of three daughters. But honestly, what makes my Mom special isn't where she was raised or who she was raised by...but that she was the mother that raised me and my brother and that she did so with faith and strength.

My Mom is a great mom. Her love for her family is amazing. I have never doubted that she loved me or that she would be there for me in my time of need. No matter what, she has been there.

Let me share a few of my most treasured memories...as I think that will speak best to who she is and what our relationship is like.

I remember walking with my brother to a relatively new school for us. Usually we walked to and from together but for some reason he didn't come home with me one day. Perhaps he was with a friend..I don't really remember. What I do remember is heading home in the direction I remembered. For the most part, my little trek home was going well...until I hit a point where I wasn't sure if I turned on one street or another. I kept walking back and forth trying to remember which street was the right one. Eventually, I sat down in despair unable to figure it out. I was SURE I was lost and I'd never be found. But what do you know? I looked up and there was my Mom coming down the street looking for me. What a relief! She was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen! That set for me a view of my Mom that has never changed...no matter what, my Mom would be there. She has always stood by me and supported me, loving me. Some how, that moment sealed a bond.

(My favorite picture of my Mom!)

I remember every morning before school my Mom praying for me. I don't think she ever missed a day. She new the power of prayer and offered it to me as a beautiful gift. It is so comforting to know your mother is praying for you.

She taught me that you couldn't separate your faith from your life. My beliefs weren't just for Sunday or only relegated to church...it was for all aspects of my life. I carry that to this day, knowing that every decision I make needs to be weighed against what the Word of God says.

I consider my Mom to be one of the strongest women I know. I don't think she feels that way...but I know she is. She has had some big challenges in her life that a weaker woman would have crumbled under. I pray that God will give me half her strength to get through the hard times.

My Mom and I have been "bosom friends" for many years and I am so thankful for that. Not every mother and daughter are so fortunate to be family AND girlfriends...but I am most fortunate indeed! I thank God often for that blessing and I pray that I will have as close a friendship with my own children.

My Mom...great words with so much meaning. Wife, mother,grandmother, friend...strong, loving, passionate...gentle, faithful, loyal...my Mom, my Friend, my Sister in Christ.

I love you Mom!

Celebrating Mothers-My Grandma Gloria

If you want to join in or read other posts head over to Keri's blog, HERE. Today I am sharing about one of my grandmothers, Grandma Gloria.

Grandma Gloria is my Dad's mother. Grandma had 6 kids and my Dad is the eldest. She was born in 1925 and was the eldest daughter of a large family. I don't know too much about her growing up days, but I do know that for a time she went by her middle name, Hortense and she worked at a bank as a young woman. At some point(so she told me years ago), one of her co-workers told her it might be good to go by Gloria as it wasn't so...old-fashioned ;-) It is funny, because almost all of her sisters go by a nick name rather than their given name.

My Grandma grew up in Oklahoma and Arkansas, but lived the majority of her adult life in Washington state. I've never known her any where else. The home she lived in was built by(if I remember correctly) her second husband(my Grandpa Ralph) and she lived there until she died 4 years ago. I loved to look out their front window and look at Mt. Si that was right there...beautiful. I will probably always think of both Grandma and Mt. Si together.

This picture above is just how my Grandma was....no matter what. Throughout all of my growing up and beyond she battled illness after illness. She had cancer several times, panchreatitis, heart issues and diabetes which eventually took her sight. I know that she had hard days...but the thing that overwhelmingly I remember about her was her joyful, faithful spirit and her sweet kindness to others. Her faith in God and His promises to her kept her cheerful and strong. I hope that I can have half the faith she had and be as strong in times of difficulty.

Grandma and I had a few things in common...we love family, babies and poetry :-) She loved having her family about her and I was always sorry that we lived too far way for me to be there as often as some of my cousins were. I can probably count the times we were able to be together on my two hands. But she always encouraged me and shared her love with me. Even if only through phone calls, letters and rare visits. She was the matriarch of the family and family and friends were often with her. She loved to hear about new babies in the family and she was blessed with 19 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren at the time of her death...she has a couple more now :-) Just a few months before she went to be with the Lord, I told her I was expecting. She said "Oh, I just love when the babies come!" I was glad she died before knowing I lost that wee one.

She also wrote poetry...so very much. She has a self published little book of poetry that I will cherish always. She encouraged me to not wait so long as she did to try to do something with my poetry. I haven't written in a while, but I always think of her when I get the itch! At her grave side service my Uncle blessed me by asking me to read one of her poems and it is another memory that I cherish. I am so thankful he allowed that connection between us to be shared in her honor one last time.

Let me share a poem she wrote that speaks a bit about her attitude in life:

Some Day We'll Understand

It is not for us to question

Why some things should come to be;

Why sickness, pain and heartache

Should come to you and me

But rather we should all rejoice

With the beauty we are given;

A baby's smile and a love that's true,

Joy coming straight from Heaven.

Hard times can make us wise and strong

They'll help us grow in grace.

The joys we know-the happy times

Are but a reflection of God's face.

No, it is not for me to question

Why some things should come to be;

But rather ask that God will make

A blessing out of me.

****

And also, if you will indulge me...let me share the poem I was blessed to read at her funeral in 2006.

Let's Meet on the Mountain

Let's meet upon the mountain

Where icy waters flow.

Meet upon the mountaintop

Where purple rhododendrons grow.

Let's meet upon the mountain

Or travel hand in hand.

Look out upon the other side

To heaven's wonderland.

Let's meet upon the mountain

The Lord awaits us there.

We'll take the straight and narrow path

That joins heaven's golden stair.

****

I miss Grandma Gloria ever so much. She inspired me to write, to love, to consider children a most treasured blessing(whether 1 or 20 in number and whether your own or another's). She inspired me to ever look to the Lord for my strength and to consider even sorrows as blessings. When she died, I had not seen her in several years...but her face shines brightly in my memories and her love continues to beat strongly in my own heart! Thank you Lord for blessing me with such a wonderful Grandmother!

Blessings,

Sommer

Celebrating Mothers-Great Grandmothers

Today we are celebrating Great Grandmothers! If you plan on joining in head over HERE to post your link so we can all enjoy your post:-) I think this will be fun!

Honestly, this might be my hardest to do. I only ever met one of my great grandmothers(at least in my memory..though one I met as an infant) and so my memories are limited. But I thought I'd at least introduce the two I best know of :-)

Emmalina

Emmalina is my maternal grandfather's mother. I didn't know her very well but have heard she was an interesting woman. This picture above, she is in her late teens I believe. I know she was engaged a couple of times and was very much an independent woman for the time. I think she might have been a poster child for the '20s! I remember visiting my grandparent's home and I was allowed to look at the jewelry that was kept in the guest room. Most of it was hers...long dangling necklaces and screw/clamp earrings! Lovely :-) My grandfather had a twin, but he died in infancy and so he was raised an only child.

She died when I was not even 8 and so I really don't have many memories with her, but I knew her as Grammy and my mom called her Gram. She was definitely not your cuddly great grandma, but she was a fascinating woman for certain. When I graduated from high school my grandparents gave me the cameo you see her wearing in this picture...I love it! And I love that I have a picture of her wearing it :-)

Pearl

Pearl is my paternal grandfather's mother. Sadly, I never really met her, but I have heard many loving stories of her. Apparently she adored my grandpa(he also had a sister) and my dad and she gladly came to be with my mom for two weeks after I was born. She was a very lovely woman and she loved to talk and tell stories. Often when I would be slow at the dinner table, I was told to be as slow as Grandma Pearl.

This picture is of Grandma Pearl and her husband Ed on their wedding day. I absolutely love this picture of her.

Of all my greats, I wish I could have known her growing up. She seemed to be just my kind of lady.

Both of these women mean something to me. Not because they were influential in my personal growing up and life, but because they were in the lives of my parents. My Grammy(Emmalina) was hard, but gave my mom what she needed growing up. She encouraged her reading and independent spirit. My mom has often talked about her with some affection(though Grammy wasn't very affectionate). My Grandma Pearl adored my Grandpa(her son) and loved my dad. She encouraged and showed her love in many ways. Again, she too gave my mom something she needed and for that I will always be grateful. Their love and influence has given me a chance to know two women that I might otherwise have never known about. Had they been distant or uninterested in their children and grand children's lives, they wouldn't have cared to share them with me.

I hope that I can be a great grandma that is remembered with some affection and that makes an impression on the lives of family.

Blessings,

Sommer