Friday, December 18, 2015

Lessons from Grandmother

Today I found a post on Facebook from a friend and it made me think of my grandmother. The following post was so wonderfully written by Maya Angelou. 


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....

Enough money within her control to move out...
And rent a place of her own
even if she never wants to
or needs to...
Something perfect to wear if the employer
or date of her dreams wants to See Her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A youth she's content to leave behind....
A past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her Old Age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .
A set of screwdrivers,
a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...
One friend who always makes her laugh...
And one Who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
A good piece of furniture not previously owned
by anyone else in her Family...
Eight matching plates,
wine glasses with stems,
And a recipe for a meal that will make
her guests feel Honored...
A feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
How to fall in love without losing herself..
HOW TO QUIT A JOB,
BREAK UP WITH A LOVER,
AND CONFRONT A FRIEND WITHOUT
RUINING THE FRIENDSHIP...
When to try harder...
And WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
That she can't change the length of her calves,
The width of her hips,
or the nature of her parents..
That her childhood may not have been perfect...
But it's over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
What she would and wouldn't do for love or more...
How to live alone...
Even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
Whom she can trust,
Whom she can't,
And why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
Where to go...
Be it to her best friend's kitchen table...
Or a charming inn in the woods...
When her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
What she can and can't accomplish in a day...
A month...
And a year... ॐ

Written By: Maya Angelou/Pamela Redmond Satran


I knew my grandmother would like this and she has taught me a lot of the same things. She told me too that as a woman I should always have enough money to make it on my own and to be strong enough to be alone. She taught me to write thank you notes or at least pick up the phone and say thank you. It's a practice that I am proud has been instilled in my daughter. 

I tell my best friend all the time that I am buying her a set of pink tools because I was taught a woman should always have her own tool set. I have learned on my own that even though your childhood wasn't perfect it's over and therefore all you can do is make someone elses childhood better than yours. I do in fact have several friends I can trust and several I can cry to. I also have amazing recipes that my grandmother taught me that I fix for guests to make them feel special. In fact several of them now ask for my sweet potato casserole or the Napa Cabbage Salad frequently. I don't own any wine glasses with stems because it never fails that I WILL break them. My grandmother is old school with sass and I am very thankful for the lessons she has taught me throughout my life. I cannot imagine my life without my grandmother in it and I treasure our talks and time together. 


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