I spent some time with my 84 year old grandma this Thanksgiving Holiday. My plan was to get there a day in advance to assist her with any preparations for the big day. Trust me when I confide in you that my intentions were pure. However, after working all day Wednesday, making the 2 hour drive in pockets of rush hour/oops I forgot cranberry sauce traffic, I felt simply exhausted.
I wake up early everyday. I am out of the house by 6:15 in the morning. So you can imagine my surprise when I looked at the night stand alarm clock. 8:45 am, what the what? I forgot about the healing powers of this house, the fresh linens, home made food and a stress free atmosphere lull you into a state of uninterrupted bliss. I jumped out of bed, ran into the kitchen sure to find my early rising Nana. There she was in her robe and slippers, drying dishes. She smiles "good morning, Jodi"! I allow my words to tumble swiftly off my lips. "Oh Nana, sorry I overslept. I came here to help you. What do you need me to do"? She said "sweet potatoes and the dressing are already in the oven". True to form, she gets it done. Her body is slowing down a bit but, day after day, she rises with purpose and strength. She comforted me with words of wisdom reminding me that my body must have needed the rest. I agreed.
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| Faith Mckenzie |
A few hours later, the family arrives to consume a delicious dinner. As we gathered around the television to watch football games, my 1 1/2 year old niece Faith, decided to exercise her legs. Relatively new to walking, she took great pride in circling the loop through the kitchen, into the living room, right past the television and back again. Obviously proud of herself and her talent, she just moved seeming aimless at times but on purpose nonetheless. We watched her fall and then instantly get back up. I absolutely could not count the number of times she fell. We dared not intervene as we all understood that she must develop these muscles on her own.
"Babies are amazing. We could all learn something from them. Look at how determined Faith is. It doesn't matter how many times she falls, she gets up and tries it again", my Nana shared.
Life can get weary, troublesome and overwhelming at times. It may even seem like God is far away and doesn't care. Know in those moments, that you are made for resilience, destined for victory and designed to withstand. I think God sometimes takes the position of doting grandmothers, aunts, parents, He doesn't always immediately intervene because He is allowing us to develop our Faith muscle. Think back to how you overcame insurmountable odds in the past. And then remember the times when you took advantage of a much needed rest in the midst of tribulation in order to rejuvenate. Be encouraged. Christmas is a time of hope. Wishing you peace and joy in all seasons.
"...knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing".
~James 1:3-4
I leave you with this speech entitled Man in the Arena by Theodore Roosevelt
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who
points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds
could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is
actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and
blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and
again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but
who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms,
the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at
the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who
at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so
that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who
neither know victory nor defeat."
Merry Christmas,
J~
I really appreciate all that you write regarding the "Mother Land," Jodi. My siblings and I are first generation Californians. My mother nor my grandparents didn't tell us much about how it was in Louisiana back in the day. I have been to Louisiana more than my siblings combined.
ReplyDeleteI visited Louisiana at the end of last December, staying in downtown New Orleans. I drove to Baton Rouge to take a photo of the capital as well as a photo of Tiger Stadium on the campus of LSU. I wanted to go visit some relatives in the Lafayette area, but I was unfortunately on a schedule and didn't have the chance to do so.
I am proud to be a Creole. I sought out to meet some of my relatives in 2001. I met a number of them on the New Iberia genealogy website and attended a family reunion in 2002. I had a blast. I've done my best to maintain contact with them. My only regret is that I didn't meet them earlier in life.
Glad you are reconnecting. Unfortunately, my great grandparents chose not to teach us the language although of course we ate the food and maintained close connections to other Creoles in California. I had a discussion yesterday with my sister and a few friends. I stated that I never realized we were keeping Creole traditions until I went back to Louisiana as an adult. I just thought we were pretty blessed to have a close knit multi-generational family. No one ever said we are Creole and this is why we do this lol. Thanks for reading my posts.
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