The Raley Girls.

Because today is Mother’s Day, I am obviously dedicating this post to my mom, Patti.  But I would also like to acknowledge some other very important women in my life, all whom have loved me and cared for me throughout my entire life.  Let’s call them “the Raley girls”…

The Raley girls (AKA my grandma, my mom, and my four aunts)
with my cousin Elyse on her wedding day

My Grandma Shirl:  Where to begin?  She is my namesake (we both have the middle name Hope), she has always been one of my favorite people in the whole world, and she has been a shining example in our family of what it means to be a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a friend, and most importantly, a Godly woman.  She is the closest thing that I know to a saint…always taking care of us, all three generations of our family, and always with a positive attitude about it.  I could go on for days, but let’s just leave it at this:  I have the best grandma in the entire world.

Joan: As the oldest of the Raley daughters, Joan has always been a loving presence in my life.  Some of my fondest memories as a child are running up and down the hallways of the Quad City airport (where you can no longer run, it’s so sad!), waiting for our Aunt Joanie to arrive, all the way from California!  She was always so happy to see us, and we were always so sad to see her go back!

Becky: My aunt Becky loved to take my cousin Elyse and I out shopping when we were little girls, because she never had a daughter of her own (she has two boys).  We loved going with Aunt Becky!  And we still do! She’s always good for a laugh, and she has the sweetest, sweetest heart.

Jean:  My aunt Jeannie is the closest thing I have to a “second mom”.  Nearly all of my childhood memories include Jeannie, and I would not be the person I am today without her in my life.  She is such a positive influence on all of the children in our family, and there is not another daycare in the world where I would rather have my children while I’m at work.  I cannot imagine my life without my aunt Jeannie in it!

“Patti” (AKA my mom!):  The reason I said that Jean was almost like a second mom to me is because I really didn’t need a second mom!  I had the best mom (and still do).  My childhood was filled with happy days—reading stacks of my favorite books(Chicken Soup with Rice, Come to the Doctor Harry, Over in the Meadow…), watching our favorite movies (the Sound of Music, Pollyanna, the Swiss Family Robinson…), and going to our favorite places (Wild Cat Den, Scott County Park…).  My mom didn’t work until I went to school, and I am so thankful for all of those days with her—and all of the days since then, too!  She has helped me become the woman I am today, the mother I am today, the friend I am today, the wife I am today…she is always here for me, always loves me, and every day when I see her loving on my children, I am reminded of how truly lucky I am to have her as my mom. My boys are so lucky to have her as a grandma!  And the very best part about my mom?  She’s all mine! (I’m an only child!)

Kathy: If you read last Friday’s post, you already know that my aunt Kathy and I are “soulmates”.  When I was only 12 years old, I flew across the country by myself to spend a week with her, and then it became tradition.  Soon my cousin Elyse joined me, and those were some of the best times of our young lives.  Kathy was always the “cool, fun aunt” because she didn’t have kids of her own (yet) and she let us do whatever we wanted!  She is still the cool, fun aunt, and we love heading to the airport to wait for her and her son Bruno to arrive for a visit!

And there you have it…my grandma Shirl raised five beautiful, loving daughters, and I am lucky enough to call one of them my mother.  I thank God for putting me in a family with such strong women to look up to, and I pray that my daughter will learn as much from them as I did.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and anyone else who has the incredibly hard, yet incredibly satisfying, job of raising children in this life!

*And a special Happy Mother's Day to my mother-in-law, Debbie.  Thank you for raising the wonderful, wonderful man that I am lucky enough to call my husband.  He is loving, fun, respectful, and all of the things that his mama taught him!  My children are so lucky to have "Dede" in their lives....we all are!