Another Mom to Be Thankful For

Annette is one of my best and oldest (which makes her one of the wisest, right) friends. Her oldest daughter, Kelli, is about to get married in just a few weeks. This story is one Annette wrote about her sister, Paula. It touched my heart and I think it will yours too!

My Sister

By Annette Reece Hepner

My sister is eight years older than me.  By the time I was 9 years old, she had gone off to college.  But it is her voice that I remember during the important times of my life.  Our mother was sick a lot when I was little. We had aunts and grandmas to help, but it was my sister who would become the mother to us all.

My first memory of her influence was when she told my mother it was time to buy my first training bra (I could have worn it all the way thru high school). She sewed my clothes when I was too young and too poor to buy them. She prayed for me to grow up and behave like the Christian girl I was raised to be. In the years to come, she would stand up with me when I got married,  help when the babies came,  treat my daughters like they were her own, all the while being a wise and patient woman raising her own family.   And when my kids came along, she made baby clothes, little girl clothes, American baby doll clothes, Barbie doll clothes, and now she is sewing two little ring bearer pillows for my oldest daughters wedding.

This is a woman deathly afraid of flying….who, when her first grandson was born in Ft. Lauderdale FL…booked a flight and was there before sundown.  It was the first of many flights…after all, when Grandma is needed, Grandma always goes. No questions asked. She is just there.

She is an awesome cook who makes it all from scratch. She gardens like a champ, and cans and freezes enough of it to feed the whole town.  The rest she gives away.

When our parents were getting older, again…it was Paula who took them to doctor’s visits, cleaned the house, cooked meals, took them to visit relatives, and called daily to check on them. The rest of the family was supportive, you know.  But when push came to shove, we all knew that Paula would  be the one to take care of things.  The rest of us were busy (we thought)…working full time jobs, going to school, raising kids. But Paula, SHE was the one who worked 24/7.  When she wasn’t busy taking care of all of us, she was at church or in her small town of Columbia taking food to someone who had a baby or a death in the family.

She is the proud wife of Danny, mother of Jason and Eric,  mother-in-law to Donna and Katie, grandma to Caleb, Evan, Dawson and Davis, and aunt to Kelli and Natalie. And that is just on “our side” of the family.  She has more nieces and nephews and in-laws that could tell you their own stories.

Proverbs 31:28 says, “Her children arise and call her blessed.”    We all love her and don’t tell her enough how much we appreciate all that she does for us.  To my sister, thank you for your wonderful example of what a woman should be.  I love you.