A Woman of Many Talents

Feeling a little more than bruised and battered and having no control over certain situations I have decided to focus on the positive role models in my life. One such person is a lady I met 34 years ago when I started dating her son. Lillie is a woman of many talents and of extraordinary personality. Always kind, loving and helpful to all. She has mentored me in many ways. She is an exemplary mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Lillie is the grandmother of my children, the great-grandmother of my grandchildren. We have attended church together for years. There were a few awkward years when her son and I were divorcing and she became mother in law to his new wife. Due to knee replacement surgery and the fact that none of us are getting younger, her children have moved her to a lovely house in Columbia. This means we will not attend church together anymore and I will not see her as frequently, which is my loss! Lillie invited Michelle and me to lunch last week. She was delighted to show us her new home and made us feel very welcome. I was delighted to see things I had given her or made for her in the new home. We feasted on a fabulous chicken casserole and homemade blueberry muffins with fresh blueberries. Yum!!! We had a great time! Lillie, mother to six children has had an eventful life. She was creative with meals, clothes and vacations on a shoestring budget. One son was bitten by a rattlesnake and nearly died as a result, his mom always at his side. This same son was almost killed by a reckless driver getting out of his car one night. This same mom stayed by his side in the hospital for months watching her son suffer horrendous pain. She was widowed due to a drunken driver. She lost a daughter to a long battle with cancer. She is longsuffering, patient all the things that we are striving to become. She has fulfilled many roles and callings at church. She has a wonderful testimony of the Gospel. Lillie played an awesome game of softball in a league and was a darn good pitcher. She could catch a line drive like nobody's business! She sews clothes, makes quilts and fabulous Christmas gifts. We always looked forward to the Christmas stockings. I have continued many of the traditions I have learned from Lillie. My grown children and their spouses still expect Christmas stockings every year. She taught me "Southern cookin" as my mom taught me German dishes. She has chronicled the lives of her children and grandchildren in wonderful scrapbooks. She writes amazing poetry, stories and limmericks. So much of my creativity comes from having her as an example. Lillie loved to travel before her knees got the best of her...I was blessed to travel many places with her, as far away as Utah, as close as North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia. My favorite times were spent with her and some of her sisters travelling to the Atlanta Temple. We would eat, laugh, cry, laugh some more and work ourselves silly doing ordinances at the temple! Her grandchildren were also the recipients of her love of travel and generosity. They have been all over the country. Her oldest grandson now resides in Oregan as a result of a trip there with Grandma. (She also served on an LDS Mission there) There is not much this amazing woman has not accomplished and she shows no sign of stopping maybe slowing down but definately not stopping!!! Everyone loves her. I cannot put a price on what she has meant in my life, and the lives of my children and grandchildren. We love you so much Lillie! You are a Woman of Many Talents.