Someone's Grandma

         As I was looking through the box of  my grandma’s photos, I came across a picture of my grandma as a young girl standing with her mother.  I never knew her mother. From the pictures, I can vaguely see what she looked like. I never knew her personality, what kind of mother she was, what kind of a person she was, her hopes, her dreams, her struggles, or her joys. I can only guess that some of my grandma’s qualities were passed down from her mother.  As I looked at them standing together, I thought how neat it would have been to know my grandma as a little girl. How cool it would be to be able to go back into this photo and look into her eyes, knowing the nation of people that would come from her. Knowing that she would have struggles. Knowing she would have joys. Knowing the man she would marry and knowing the number of her days. How neat it would have been to know my grandma before her beliefs, morals, and values were established.  To know her, when she was still dreaming about what she might be some day. With these thoughts in my mind, knowing I had a lot of things to get done this day, I packed the pictures back in the box and I scooped  up my eighteen month old little girl who  had been begging for my  attention. As we headed to the kitchen, I caught our reflection in the mirror. I stopped and starred at the little girl on my hip. I thought this could be a photo that my great grandchildren look back on some day. They will not know who I am. They will not know  my personality, what kind of mother I am, what kind of person I am, my hopes, my dreams, my struggles, or my joys.  All they will know is my daughter, their grandmother, and any qualities she takes from me whether good or bad. As I looked at our reflection, I thought I am holding someone’s mother, someone’s grandmother, someone’s great grandmother.  How lucky am I that I might be holding the beginning of a great nation of people. How fortunate that I get to know her before she is established in her ways. How cool to be able to see the full circle. I get to hold her, hug her, and tell her how beautiful she is, while she dreams of what she might be some day.
         I was reassured this day from one photo. You see life is not about us. It is not about the career we establish. The amount of money we make. The way we look. The house we live in. The amount of programs we are involved in. I have been criticized for the way I raise my children, but I am not ashamed to say that the place for a mother is with her children. Our world has turned this into a negative thing, but I say what is more important than raising someone’s mother, father, grandmother, or grandfather. If you still do not agree with me than someday I would like you to look into the eyes of your great grand daughter and honestly tell her you did the best you could. All these worldly things we cling to, will fade away with our image in that photo. They will not matter in the long run and you can not take them with you. I don’t know what you‘re going to do. But for every day that I am given,  I am going to take this little girl that is on my hip, someone’s grandmother, hold her, hug her, and tell her how beautiful she is, while she dreams of what she might be some day.