Ladies of the Land
LeAnn Wester Stephenson
This is my sister D'Aunn presenting my Mom with flowers on a Mother's Day many years ago.
On this Mother's Day, I would like to honor a group of women I like to call "The Ladies of the Land." They consist of not only my mother, my daughter, my aunts, sisters, and nieces but of all of the women in my life, past and present. I want to thank and honor not only my mother, but all of the women who make up a small, but critically important circle of support; support and love that I have had the privilege of receiving my whole life long.
These women sail through their lives and mine while doing that "limping-one-minute-carrying-the-next" thing that women do. I have conferred with one or the other of them about bumps and moles, teachers, carbs and stained rugs. Together we have worried about who seems down, who looks happy, and who has lost their figure and/or their mind. Many have offered guidance when I'm spiritually perplexed, held my hand through heart-breaking loss, and celebrated with me in times of great joy. They can tell something is wrong by the way I say "Everything is fine," and have lived their ordinary lives with extraordinary grace and strength while teaching me how to star in my own life. If I killed someone, they would show up with shovels and help me bury the body - accessory after the fact be damned. They have rallied around me and held me up when I was bringing a new life into the world and stood beside me and honored the memory of a loved one as they left this world.
More often than not, over the past forty-five years, I have been the fortunate recipient of wisdom passed out around kitchen tables while questioning the pros and cons of parenting, marriage, Spanx, government, and the minutia of life in general. My life has been built upon the bones of these conversations and I find myself referring back to these talks for answers. My life would not have been as full or as happy without the influence of all of these women and I am immensely grateful for the education, love, and comfort they have provided for me.
I love you all more than you can ever know,
LeAnn
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