A Life Well Lived

(Randal and I at our first Thanksgiving celebration in Stephenville, TX)

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I am constantly reminded how much there is to be thankful for: a home, a wonderful husband, two loving and some-what-well-behaved dogs, and, of course, Clemson Football.  All of these are manifestations of God’s provision and grace in Randal’s and my life (well, maybe save Clemson Football, but I could even argue that). But, this year I am especially thankful for the life of one woman, my grandmother, more lovingly known as Memaw.

Memaw turns 90-years-old today, and is soon to welcome her first two great-grandchildren into the world. Her 90+ years of life will be remembered not by instances, but decades, of love, hard work, excellence, and true servant hood.

I have never heard anyone speak an ill word of my grandmother. She is a woman who, over the course of her life, has gained respect through her actions rather than through power or stature. She has been such a wonderful inspiration and—at least in my opinion—is one of the best living examples of what it looks like (or should look like) to be a woman. I can't count the numerous important lessons that Memaw has taught me over the years, but 4 stand out prominently in my mind:

1.  Education is a very important blessing. Memaw was born one of 8 children, and was never given the opportunity to go to college. This was, in my estimation, the one thing she always wished she could do. So many times in my (young) adult life, she stressed to me how blessed I was to get to go to school, and how I should not waste that opportunity or take it for granted.
2. Perseverance and hard work pay off. One of my favorite stories that Memaw tells is that she failed the Civil Service exam on the first try. Instead of taking this failure as defeat, she studied and studied and took the test again, and this time passed. From the way she tells it, she loved her long career as a civil servant.
3.  Pretty people don’t need to talk ugly. I may have taken some creative liberties with this one, but over the years, Memaw made it very clear that two types of speech can come out of your mouth: pretty and ugly. We should always try to talk pretty, as speaking ugly is unacceptable. It’s a pretty easy concept that can sometimes be pretty tough to put into practice.
4. Loving and serving others is more fun than being by yourself. Memaw has thrived on doing things for others her entire life. Even still, she shares her beloved McDonald’s pies with her roommate.

Even though Memaw never received the college education she so-desired, she imparted to me more of an education than I ever received inside a four-walled classroom. So special is the bond between grandparents and grandchildren; it sometimes I wonder what my parents will teach my daughter that she will never learn from me.

Thank you for bearing with me through the sappiness of the blog. For me, it does not come very easily or often, but when it does, it seems to flow freely. With that in mind, here is my third note to Lillian.

Dearest Lillian,

First, you are kicking my laptop as I write this. It’s very hard to type on a moving keyboard, so you should wait to do your calisthenics just a few minutes longer. But, I have to admit, I am so excited for the day I get to kiss those little feet that can’t stop kicking. I also cannot wait for you to meet your aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great-granparents, as I know that they are overly eager to meet you!

So many people already love you, but none more, I imagine, than your daddy (you may currently recognize him as the man with the muffled voice). You already have him wrapped around your teeny-tiny-itty-bitty finger. He is so excited—and nervous—to meet you. Besides the man you eventually marry, no man here on earth will love you as much as your daddy, and no one will come to your rescue faster.

I can’t wait to see all that you learn from him. You are so blessed to have such a wise and intelligent father. I only pray that you take it easy on him, as a tear or a smile from you might be enough to break or melt his heart.

Your mommy and daddy love you so much, and we will see you in about 3 months!!!

Love,

Mommy

Beauty and the Fear of Beasts (and Other Various Things)

I have to admit that I had a “great” idea for a Halloween blog, but never got around to posting. As a consolation, I do have long-awaited (somewhat exaggerated) baby bump picture FROM Halloween:

The very first Moore Family Halloween was somewhat of a bust. I raced home (a teensie bit early) from work to buy last minute candy and prepare for the rush of trick-or-treaters that I knew would be descending on our front porch. I don’t know why I was so excited about little kids in costume coming to our door—possibly it was the fact that impending motherhood has made me nostalgic about playing dress-up.  More likely, however, is the fact that I have not-so-secretly planned Lillian’s costumes for the next 3-4 years, and I needed to compare. Whatever my excitement stemmed from, it was soon thwarted as we had zero little monsters, zombies, superheroes, princesses, or anything else (well, besides a very cute 5-month-old “monkey” belonging to our friends, but he didn’t really consume much candy) come to our door. 

We are rounding out (pun intended) the 24^th week of pregnancy, and as the belly grows, so does my sense of worry—about everything. Am I eating something that I’m not supposed to? Am I forgetting to do something (like sleep at a 45.5° angle away from the second star in Orion’s belt) that will cause irreparable harm to the baby? What if I slip and fall and break the baby’s head? What if the baby comes to early? And those are just some of the worries I have BEFORE the baby is born. The list goes on and on for after Lillian makes her big debut, from changing diapers and day care decisions to appropriate parenting choices to affording college. 

If I let it, this sense of worry and fear (and, yes, dread) can really take over my day. However, because I was so blessed with such a great mother—who still listens to me throw mini-fits of worry and frustration, then guiding me to pray –I will always remember the verse she made me repeat over and over when I was convinced the boogie-man was about to strike:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

-2 Timothy 1:7

And, with this in mind, here goes my second letter to our sweet daughter regarding one of the biggest fears I have.

Dearest Lillian,

I am so excited to get to meet you, and to introduce you to girly things like pearls, dresses, and shoes. However, one thing mommy already fears the most is that—one day—you will look in the mirror and you won’t see how beautiful you are, but instead, you will see too fat, too short, imperfect skin, or one number of other non-existent flaws. And I fear that your mind will dwell on what you see in the mirror.

You see, I already know that you will be the most precious and beautiful little girl that has ever breathed. But, I also know first hand that, often times, this idea of beauty gets twisted.

I will do my best to teach you good habits on taking care of your body, as it’s the only one you get while you’re here on earth. And, I will always want to do everything in my power to help you feel like you shine. But what I don’t want is for your self-image to thrive on compliments of others on your appearance, as it is not sustainable.  Instead, I want you to be proud of who you are, inside and out, and rest in the fact that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You were put on this earth for a very specific and important purpose, and I will do my best to help you not let this fact be blurred by an image you see in the mirror.

I pray that—together—we learn to cherish and put into practice this verse:

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

-Proverbs 31:30

Mommy and Daddy love you, and we cannot wait to see your precious face, as I am relatively sure its loveliness will completely redefine my meaning of the word “beauty.”

Love,

Mommy