A Legacy of Strength

Ask any male member of my extended family and you will find that I come from a long (LONG) line of strong, independent women. Last week I lost the matriarch of that line. My grandmother went home to Jesus at the age of 97 years, 11 months. She was a very creative woman who helped support her large (8 kids!) family by painting. She also wrote poetry, played piano and sang beautifully. It's such a wonderful legacy passed down through the generations. I can see it continuing in my own daughters. As a way to honor her, all the daughters and granddaughters wore her hats to the funeral. She loved to wear hats, and was known about town as the hat lady. :) (I'm the one in the brown dress with the pink hat. I will have another post about the shoes...) This is a photo of me with my grandma when I was about 7-8 months old.

On the card from the funeral was printed one of Grandma's poems. I think it truly gives insight into her, as well as the long line of women who came after.

The Dreamer
You say I'm a dreamer
And of course it's true
I dream of the past and the
present too.
Some dreams I come up with
Are impossible schemes
And quickly I relegate them
Back to my dreams.
But then there are times
When a favorite scheme will
quickly take form
And become more than a dream.
The idea is strong and "heady"
I drop everything and work on it steady.
It's work, but it's pleasure-
Intriguing, provoking, a treasure.
Yes! I'm a dreamer, all kinds of things
Rolled into one-
Mystic, sad, glad and fun.
I'm absent-minded, sub-conscious.
Consciously right.
You can't make me over
Don't ever try.
I'll find a way to be
wild and to be free
Oh yes, I'm a dreamer
I hate to admit it
"It's me"