Some Very Special Ladies

I've been extremely blessed to have grown up around some pretty special ladies. Each had their own little niche in my life and in their own way they impacted my life. Of coarse my Momma is the one that I hold dear and near along with my Grandma and Grandmother...but when I look outside the realm of my kin folk, I have to admit - I'm pretty stinkin' lucky. I'll always have very fond memories of my Mom #2 and her great big smile and hugs she always gave me - I cried for weeks when she passed away so unexpectedly. I also have a Mom #3 who always seems to appear just in the nick of time to bail me out of whatever "catastrophe" I may be having - sewing, cooking, or just talks! Then there is the blessing of a wonderful mother in law, who is an amazing example of faith and love. I have loads of aunts, ladies from my church growing up and even a very special friend that I met when I was 7 at church camp, she still sends me a birthday card every year. Heck, I even have old boyfriends moms and grandmas who are still really good friends and a great comfort when I need a prayer or some advice. Yes, to say I am blessed with the wonderful influences in my life would be an understatement.

But I've got a three more ladies that I just have to brag on, because they are an absolute, undeniable blessing, not only to myself but to my family as well. About four years ago when Keith and I moved to Tyler, we begin the hunt for a church family. I have to admit, I am a country girl and small churches are really where I feel at home. I treasure all those close relationships with people from all age groups and in a larger church, that seemed very hard to accomplish. But Keith was not comfortable in small churches, and thus our journey began. We found Shiloh Road church of Christ. The church was a fit for the most part, but after having gone for the first two years, I couldn't honestly say I felt at home. Then we had our Carli and we met Ms. Patty. Ms. Patty is in charge of the nursery at Shiloh and never for a moment did I doubt that Ms. Patty loved our baby and loved us.

We slowly got to know Ms. Patty over the year or so of Sunday mornings/nights and Wednesday nights. We shared stories of our families. We prayed for our families - heck, we even shed a few tears. Ms. Patty is an amazing lady and a true inspiration. But you know, there are times when you have your life and then you have your "church" life. It shouldn't be that way, but lots of times the friends you have a church sometimes don't get introduced to the "real" life world of the weekdays. But Ms. Patty wasn't like that. When we were blessed with Ava, Ms. Patty and her family were going through some tough times health wise, but wouldn't you know that this wonderful lady and her daughters drove 45 minutes to our house to watch my children so I could get some rest?! The day the Mascorro women showed up at my doorstep was the day I realized what a true gift from God they were to us. They put aside their needs, wants and worries and took care of my family - and quite honestly that was hard to swallow. Ms. Patty showed me that day what selflessness is - and I've been working ever since to pay it forward.

So, with that all said, Kayla (Ms. Patty's daughter) graduated last week from High School and we had the privilege of being invited out to her graduation party on Saturday. The girls and I spent most of the morning running around town putting together Kayla's gift...it was original to say the least...We got her a few dollars to put in some gas in her truck for commuting to her classes, a gift card to the ever important Sonic for some caffeine to stay awake studying and then an iTunes gift card for some music to relax, procrastinate or study with! :) The girls had a blast putting the money in the gas can - we were going to leave it all nice and rolled but who could resist the grins and giggles they had putting each little penny, nickle and dime in? :)

Carli just had to help Kayla open her gift...

It took Carli awhile, but she finally warmed up to all the people. She had a great time playing and kept a close watch on her little sister too.


Thanks Kayla for inviting us to your party. Congratulations on your graduation! We are very blessed to know you! And thank you Ms. Patty for raising two amazing young ladies and sharing them with our family. We love you all very much!