Love. Laughter. Life: A Blessed Life

A little over 35 years ago
God gave me to a wonderful family.
That family included a mother, a father, an older sister,
but also included many aunts and uncles.
Over my 35 years, some of those aunts and uncles
have become more like another set of parents to me.
At age 2 or 3, God moved our family
to a new city 4 hours away,
a few years later into yet another new city....
only this time it was 17 hours away.
Though the distance was great,
certain people were always a part of my life
as far back as I can remember.
This family is one of them.
~~~~~
Aunt Sherry, Uncle Roy, Shellie, & Misty
have over the years come to be like a second family to me.
The bonus for me in getting them as a second family
is a little lady I call
Mrs. Mattie.
Mrs. Mattie turned 90 years old this year.
There are not many people anymore
who are blessed to live to that age,
but this IS Mrs. Mattie we are talking about
and I can see why my God above would allow her
to be so blessed.
As far back as I can remember
Mrs. Mattie has just had a
warm, pleasant, loving way about her.
No matter how long it had been since
she saw me last,
she always made me feel at home in her home,
she always had a smile and a kind word
to greet me with,
she always had a way of putting
this shy little girl at rest.
Some things never change.
Last Saturday I had the joy
of getting to spend some time
with Mrs. Mattie yet again.
It had been a while
since I had gotten to visit with her...
but she hadn't changed.
Still the same pleasant smile and kind words to greet me.
Her face had aged a little, she moved a little slower
but that voice, that smile
it was Mrs. Mattie.
Still just as kind and graceful as ever.
~~~~~
Shellie asked me to come by
and take a few quick pictures of her and Mrs. Mattie,
or as Shellie calls her "Mamaw".
I had all of these great shots I wanted to take,
I had worried about taking the photos in full sun,
what would I do about this and how am I going to do that....
Leave it to Mrs. Mattie to make this
nervous, somewhat backwards woman...
feel right as ease.
Out the door went the shots I had planned...
It's just Mrs. Mattie being Mrs. Mattie
with her family around her.
I took a few shots but more than that
I took a lesson in what a long and blessed life
truly looks like.
Mrs. Mattie is a picture perfect example of that.
~~~~~

Shellie and her Mamaw...
otherwise known as Mrs. Mattie.

Jacob, Mrs. Mattie's great-grandson & Shellie's nephew
couldn't resist being included.

Mrs. Mattie, Shellie & her sister Misty

Mrs. Mattie & Misty

~~~~~

It only took a few minutes for Mrs. Mattie
to point out some of her prized possessions...
her flowers.
You can tell she loves her family
but her flowers run a close second!

Miss Ella, yet another great grandbaby & Jacob's sister

Ella playing with Nana

~~~~~

More of Mrs. Mattie's Masterpieces....

more...

more....

and last but certainly not least...
the last remaining rose on the rosebush.
I didn't photoshop that blue in...
that is the way I captured it with the sky and cloudes softened behind it...
just beautiful.