The Walk of a Lifetime

Happy Mother's Day, dear mamas! I hope you have had a wonderful day celebrating with your families. Today we honor ALL women, of all ages, and we especially want to thank our moms and grandmas for giving us life and for loving us unconditionally. The love, wisdom, kindness, discipline, guidance and lifelong nurture of a mom deserves our never ending gratitude and respect. Moms, we can never thank you enough!

2 years ago today, on Mother's Day, I started writing this blog to share the stories of our family and God's faithfulness to us during each step and every season of our lives. Thank you for your kindness, support and encouragement as you have followed our journey. Today, I simply want to honor my entire family, especially the women of my family...moms and yet-to-be moms.

 

First of all, thank you Danny, Jason, David, Chris, and Heidi for allowing me the incredible privilege of being your mom! The way you honor God, love extravagantly, and chase hard after your dreams makes me so proud. 

Isn't this amazing?! Our fun-loving and growing family.

Thank you, Cortnie and Brittanica, for being the best daughters-in-law a mom could ever want! The way you love my sons is perfect. The way you love your families makes my heart so happy.

Jason, Cortnie, Olivia, Evan and Felix



David, Brittanica, Johnny, Jovi, Jack (and unborn daughter)

Thank you, Tim, for being a wonderful son-in-law! The way you love and care for Heidi makes me feel incredibly at peace. (Besides, I really wanted one more son! Ha!)

Chivalry is not dead!

And thank you Olivia, Evan, Felix, Johnny, Jovi, Jack, (and granddaughter coming this fall!) for being the most amazing grandchildren I could ever desire! You are the most beautiful, smart, talented, and incredibly funny little humans on the planet, and you bring this grandmama so much joy! You are Children of Hope, and you are going to change this world in indescribable ways!

 

Olivia, Evan and Felix

Johnny, Jovi and Jack



And a very special thank you to my mom for being the best mom a girl could want! My mom loved my brother and me with her whole heart and made incredible sacrifices to raise us as a single mom. She is 96 years old and continues to love all of us - her children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren - deeply. We are blessed to still have her in our lives. Isn't she adorable?

3 generations! Grandma, Mom, and Daughter with new son-in-law, Tim

She even made the 1,200 mile/18 hour trip from Las Cruces, NM to St. Louis, MO to attend Heidi's wedding! That's a lot of love for this great-grandma!

 

Life's journey - our walk through life - can be tricky. It's difficult for everyone, but today my focus is on women. Young or old. Married or single. Rich or poor. Moms or not moms.

 

As many of you know, 3 weeks ago I walked a marathon in celebration of my 60th birthday. It was hard, but not as hard as I thought. Although I planned, and trained, and rested, and did all I knew to do, God was still the One who helped me. I prayed for a beautiful, warm day, but it was cold and windy, and I walked the last 3 hours in the rain. Isn't that just like life? We want warm, sunny, stress-free days, but storms come and winters can be long, hard and lonely. But we press on. Just like my symbolic "Walk of a Lifetime" done on April 13, 2019. By the grace of God, I did it. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

"This is What 60 Looks Like" (This t-shirt is better than a medal!)

I plan to write much more about this in the coming weeks and months, but for now I'll just say once again that this walk was symbolic. We all start out in life tiny and pure, with excitement and hope for our future, ready to run our race...wearing our spotless, white tennis shoes. But as we go through life, seasons change and the winds come and threaten to slow us down and discourage us. Our "shoes" become old, gray and worn. But what do we do? We keep walking. 

 

And so, on Mother's Day, 2019, I want to encourage all women, but today I start by saying to my daughter and my daughters-in-law (and every young married woman reading this)... 

 and my teenage granddaughter (and every teenage girl reading this)...

 and my baby granddaughter (and every other baby girl)...

and for my granddaughters yet to be born (and every other unborn baby girl) ...

 

Through every season of life, before you have children and after they are born, hold on tightly to the hand of Jesus. Trust Him, and just keep walking. From birth to death. No matter what comes your way.

 

When the sun is shining, keep walking. He is your joy.

When the storms come, keep walking. He is your peace.

When you're surrounded by family and friends, keep walking. He is your brother.

When you're all alone, keep walking. He is your best friend.

When He's answered your prayers, keep walking. He is your provider.

When doubts and questions come, keep walking. He is your counselor.

If your home is full of children, keep walking. He will be their Heavenly Father.

If your home is empty, keep walking. He will be your comforter.

If you are a married mama, keep walking. He is love.

If you are a single mama, keep walking. He is your source and will help you.

Once again, dear friends, Happy Mother's Day! I honor you today for the heroic work you do, day in and day out, month after month, year after year. Although your labor may seem invisible, God sees you and will reward you openly. He will answer the desires of your heart, and your children will rise up and call you blessed. Be Women of Class. You are beautiful. You are a treasure.

 

With all my love and a heart full of gratitude,

Teresa/MamaT/GrandMama-T

May The Lord bless you and protect you.
May The Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May The Lord show you His favor and give you His peace. 



Each step in life is making beautiful pearls.





Children of Hope

Hello once again, my dear friends. In my last 2 posts, I shared my heart with you regarding Men of Valor and Women of Class. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your overwhelming response and support - it is clear that valor and class are timeless standards that are still embraced in 2018.

Tonight, on this icy/snowy Sunday evening, I'd like to share my heart with you regarding children - Children Of Hope. And this message is not about telling children how they should behave and how they should respect parents and adults (that will be another post for another time); the message today is for adults - Men of Valor and Women of Class - and our attitude toward children, whether they are our own children or not. We are living in a day where children are at times seen as messy little nuisances who ruin our lives and rob us of our joy, freedom, and money. How sad! Because kids actually give us much more than they take - they give us HOPE. Hope for the future.

Hope:  A feeling of expectation and desire for certain things to happen. A feeling of trust. Wanting something to happen; to expect, anticipate. An aspiration, desire, ambition, aim, goal, plan.

As Christians, we know that our hope is solid. It is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1. Hope that is like faith...a faith that cannot be moved by circumstances or what the eyes see, because an unseen God is seen in His faithfulness. Hope is not just positive thinking - it's trusting God with your todays and your tomorrows. And children are a perfect picture of hope and trust. When we look into the eyes of children, we see the hope of what their futures hold. And the truth is, we're all children no matter our age - and we're all worthy of love and investment.

Let me show you what the journey of Children of Hope has looked like for the Womelsdorf family - our story of hope. Every family has a story of hope. The faces and stories of individual families across the world look different, but hope looks the same everywhere.

We love to see ourselves in our children - miniature versions of ourselves who grow into adults and carry our hearts and values/hopes and dreams. My mom had high hopes for me as a teenager. She wanted me to go further and do more than she had done (the selfless desire of every parent!). 40 years later, I'm still her child and she is still proud of me. We are both Children of Hope.

Children give us opportunity to engage in a "Divine Do-Over." If you have a rich heritage of faithful, God-fearing parents and grandparents, then you have the privilege of passing that legacy on to your children - a "Do-Over." If your family story is painful and is less than desirable, then you have the opportunity to change the direction of your family and rewrite history - a hope-filled, faith-filled, God-empowering "Do-Over." 

As a young woman, I asked God to change the course of history for my future children and grandchildren - that they would not be bound by the sin tendencies and struggles of generations past. They were my unseen Children Of Hope, and I fully trusted that God would do miracles in their lives and that His grace would be evident in their lives - and for generations to come.

My first child was a son named Danny. The pictures below are of me as a young mom desiring that this baby boy would grow into a Man of God, and my adult son, Danny - a #ManOfValor. My first Child Of Hope. 

My last child was a daughter named Heidi. I desired with all my heart that she would grow into a woman of God - a #WomanOfClass.

The young mom kissing baby Heidi in the Texas bluebonnets on our birthdays...

Became an older mom kissing newly engaged Heidi, my daughter who has grown into a young Woman Of Class - my Child Of Hope.

And in between, I watched 4 young sons grow into 4 men - my Children Of Hope. With God's help, the dream of watching them become Men Of Valor became a reality.

 

More years passed. 2 sons married and started their families.

I now have the joy of watching my sons as young dads looking into the faces of their baby sons - their Children Of Hope and future Men Of Valor.  

 

And I also have the joy of watching my daughter-in-laws as young moms looking into the faces of their young daughters - their Children Of Hope and future Women Of Class.

 

The mama became a grandmama - kissing the faces of the next generation of Men Of Valor and Women Of Class. Children of Hope having Children of Hope.

Children really are incredible! While we as adults recognize our responsibility to nurture, love, protect and instruct them as they grow, children teach us much more than we would sometimes ever care to admit. In many ways, we should all view the world through a child's eyes and become as a little child. "For such is the kingdom of Heaven."

 

Children are . . . pure and innocent.

They view the world with wonder and delight.

They are honest, loving, trusting, loyal, fiercely protective.



They are funny, curious and wildly imaginative.

Their exuberant joy and boundless energy are contagious.

Mostly, they are just plain sweet and adorable.

And while all of these positive qualities are true, children also need constant supervision and are a lot of hard work. Every parent knows this to be true - children can be mean, exhausting, trying, grumpy, messy, disobedient, and obstinate. They break our precious things and take away our privacy. They get sick and don't sleep for days. They throw fits.

Well, you know what . . . that sounds a lot like us adults, too, doesn't it? 

 

So why is it that we dislike children because of these negative qualities? Sometimes we act the exact same way - and we should know better. It really is quite ugly. But God, our Heavenly Father, loves us anyway. We are His children, and He loves us. Whatever our age, whatever our background, He loves us. 

 

When we are unruly, willful, stubborn and disobedient, He loves us.

When we are mean, uncompassionate and unforgiving, He loves us.

When we are harsh and unkind with our words and actions, He loves us.

When we are critical and judgmental of others, He loves us. 

When we are dishonest and selfish, He loves us.

When we pout, dig in our heels and refuse to budge, He loves us.

When we throw fits and demand our own way, He loves us.

When we make a mess of our lives, He loves us.

 

God not only loves us, He hopes in us. We are His Children Of Hope. God's desire is that we love Him, serve Him, obey Him, and follow His leading in our lives. He wants to use us for good in the same way we that that we desire our children to do good in their lives. No matter how messy our past or present may be, God's desire is that we hope in Him so that our future will be bright. In the same way that we desire to leave a legacy of hope for our children, how much more does the God who knows us best and loves us most desire to give us a hope and a future...no matter how messy, thoughtless, or selfish we can be at times.

 

And so, dear ones, thank you for following along today. As I stated in the beginning of this post, my heart is that we will all view children as God views them and have an attitude of appreciation for the many lessons children teach us. They are our future and our hope. This post is not about having babies - again, this is about our attitude regarding kids of all ages. The decision to have or not have children is very personal for each family, and is not to be taken lightly. I certainly don't believe that everyone should fill their homes with as many children as possible - that was clearly not my intent for this post. It just makes me sad when I hear so much negativity regarding kids and families - whatever the reason. I'm sure glad God doesn't feel that way about us!

 

I pray you have a wonderful week full of blessings and joy - you are my treasured friends. Please allow God to use you to invest in children - of all ages. They are our #ChildrenOfHope and are worth our attention and energy. The rewards are far more numerous than the sacrifices, and will be passed on from generation to generation.

 

With all my love and a heart full of gratitude,
Teresa/MamaT/GrandMama-T

May The Lord bless you and protect you.
May The Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May The Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.

Pearls of the future - #ChildrenOfHope

 

Women of Class

Hello, my dear friends. Last week I shared my heart with you regarding chivalry, and our desire for men to behave as gentlemen. Well, today I'd like to take a look at the other side of the coin. My dear beautiful ladies, it's our turn. Let's talk about class. And I hope you still love me by the end of this post.

Class:  Showing stylish excellence. A person who is poised, graceful, mature, or portrays any of these qualities in dress, mannerism, language, and everyday life. A person who possesses excellent self-control; is gentle, soothing and inoffensive. Classy. Elegant.

Elegant:  Gracefully refined and dignified; showing good taste; simple and clever. Graceful and attractive in appearance and behavior.

Grace:  Simple elegance, refined; poise, finesse; polite and thoughtful way of behaving; courteous good will.

This weekend, thousands of women in cities all across America are marching and taking a stand for equal rights. And yes, our voices need to be heard. There is power in our words. It's just so unfortunate, though, that the women's movement that was, and still is, intended to bring equality to women - including equal pay for equal work - has gone so much further than that and is taking away something that is precious and priceless. If we're not careful, this "movement" can take away our beauty as women. Our femininity. Our elegance. Our grace. Our charm. Our class. Equality does not mean that we should lose our identity as women and start acting like men:  becoming bra-less, cigarette-smoking, liquor-drinking, foul-mouthed, belching, slap-you-on-the-back, promiscuous 'bros. I'm sorry, but it's not pretty. It's not classy.

God created us as male and female, and we are different. It's ok. In this upside-down day we're living in, men are behaving as women, and women are behaving as men. Let's stop it. If we expect men to behave as gentlemen, well then ladies, let's start behaving as women.

Today I'm proposing a new challenge. If we really want to be heard and make a difference, let's embrace our femininity and be #WomenOfClass. There are thousands of powerful Women Of Class who have used their voices, skills, and influence to change a world that is hurting, and they should be celebrated.

Women Of Class are women who:
Love and honor God first and foremost, and look to Him daily for help.
Live their lives, privately and publicly, with honesty, integrity, humility, and self-respect.
Honor and respect men - starting in their own home - realizing that they are not in a competition for power.
Commit to loving their husband for a lifetime.
Commit to loving, nurturing and protecting their children.
Teach their sons to be gentlemen and their daughters to be feminine.
Are strong in spirit and courageous when facing challenges.
Are polite, kind and honest in their speech, not tearing others down with their words.
Are self-controlled - with their words and the way they live.
Are hard-working, both at home and in their careers.
Are creative trailblazers when pursuing their heart desires and dreams.
Are generous and help the needy.
Are stylish - poised, graceful, mature; elegant.
Are compassionate, gentle, soothing and inoffensive.
Tell the truth and speak up when injustices are present - defending the defenseless.
Do the right things, for the right reasons, in the right ways, at the right times.

Simply put, class is . . .
Carefully
Living
Always, with
Style and
Substance

Class is beauty, grace, charm, brains, and kindness extended to everyone we meet. And ladies, it all starts in the heart. When we recognize that God has created us to be kind, forgiving, gentle-spirited, and self-controlled, then we also recognize that we need His help daily, especially today in a society that tells us when we are embracing our femininity that we are weak. Nope - exactly the opposite. Ask any woman with class - is it really "weak" to live a self-controlled, kind, thoughtful, modest, respectable life? I think not. It takes a tremendous amount of strength and courage. So let's talk about that for a minute.

Ladies, you are more than just a beautiful face and a desirable body.

First, beauty is given by God, fades with time, and can be gone in an instant. Beauty is not determined by the color of your skin, the features of your face, the shine of your hair, or the shape of your body. True beauty oozes out of your innermost being through your eyes for all the world to see. Never forget that.

And let's talk about your body. You are beautifully made, but you do not have the right to do whatever you want with your body. Women Of Class have boundaries - God-given limits - on how they show respect for themselves and their bodies. Women Of Class understand that while their body may be a "wonderland" - it's not a "playground."

Your body is not an open attraction with a "come one, come all" mentality. Just because the world is screaming that you have the "right" to do whatever you want with your body doesn't mean that you should. It's beautiful and freeing to know that sharing the "secrets" of your body is meant for one man - your husband - for a lifetime. There, I said it. And I know that this is very controversial in today's way of thinking. But God set the standard. God loves you, and He knows that this adds value, respect, self-esteem and class to your life. Don't settle for anything less.

And speaking of self-control, I really don't think men like it or think it's pretty or classy when they see ladies falling down drunk and then crawling into bed with them. Oh, they will at times happily oblige, but they really don't think it's cool. Just ask them. If we want to demand respect, then we need to act respectfully.

While we're on the topic of bodies, let's also talk about how Women Of Class dress. The current styles of hemlines up to here, and necklines down to there have taken away the magic and the beauty of classy women. The trend today is that we're paying more-and-more money for less-and-less fabric, and it's even impacted the clothing styles of little girls. It's sad. I'm not saying that you should cover up from your chin to ankles, but I am saying that you don't need to show every nook and cranny of your body to be attractive. Let there be some mystery. Get up in the morning, shower, fix your hair and makeup, put on a bra, panties and a cute outfit, and face the world with class.

And while you're at it, teach your daughters that beauty starts on the inside. Teach them that class is beautiful. Changing course and turning this ship around starts in the home with moms training daughters, and daughters training daughters...from generation to generation. It looks something like this.

A Woman Of Class starts as a little girl,

Jovi - Future #WomanOfClass

And grows into a teenager,


Olivia - Becoming a #WomanOfClass

And becomes a young woman.

Heidi - #WomanOfClass

Little girls learning to love their siblings/brothers,

Jovi - #WomanOfClass

Become teenagers who love their siblings/brothers,

Olivia - #WomanOfClass

Who become young women who love their siblings/brothers.

Heidi - #WomanOfClass

Young women who love their siblings/brothers grow to love their future husband,

Heidi - #WomanOfClass

Become young married women who love their husbands and children,

Cortnie and Olivia - #WomenOfClass

Brittanica and Jovi - #WomenOfClass

Who become grandmamas and great-grandmamas who love their kids/grandkids.

Me and My 94-year old Mama - #WomenOfClass

The cycle of life. It is a beautiful picture of grace - passing the baton of beauty and class from one generation to the next. One woman at a time - one choice at a time.

As I am wrapping up this post, I want to tell you all that I love you. I want to honor all the women in my life who live with strength, dignity, respect, honor, courage, wisdom, and class. You are my friends and my family. You are God's medal-of-honor beauties, and I don't know where I would be without you. To my older friends, thank you for your love and encouragement, and for showing me perfect pictures of Women Of Class. To my younger friends - I know that I sound like a mom with old-fashioned thoughts and morals. Yep, I'm guilty - but I am fighting for these values because they are true and needed. Younger Women Of Class, I admire you. I know it's not easy today to live up to a high standard of dignity and respect. Keep it up - we need you. And just remember - class is timeless!

Just as we did last week with #MenOfValor, let's tell the stories of Women Of Class that you know. Use #WomenOfClass, and share/tweet your stories and pictures. We want to hear stories of your moms, grandmas, daughters, sisters, aunts, nieces, cousins, wives, coworkers, neighbors, and friends. We will all be inspired by these beautiful women and encouraged to do better. As iron sharpens iron!

With all my love and a heart full of gratitude,
Teresa/MamaT/GrandMama-T

May The Lord bless you and protect you.
May The Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May The Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.

Class is alive and well in 2018. Pearls of beautiful lives - #WomenOfClass