Pearlie Mae

Pearlie Mae was my father’s maternal grandmother.  I don’t know a lot about her, as I never actually met her.  She passed away before my handful of trips to visit family in rural Mississippi where she lived.  She raised a huge family on a farm prior to and during the depression.  I have heard a handful of stories about her, that I hope to share but for right now she is my mascot for 2016, this new and fresh year. 

Unfortunately I don’t really know much about her as an individual, her likes and dislikes, her mannerisms, all the things that make up a human being.  I have jumbled stories from my Grandmother, Father and Mother that were told to me growing up. 

Sprouting from the limited facts I have, my imagination has led me to associate her with simplicity, diligence, intentionality and a feminine toughness that would endure any challenge to Faith or integrity.  She is the face of Proverbs 31 for me.  So as to not disrespect the person she was due to lack of knowledge on my part, she, her name, has become a symbol to me.  She’s a symbol of the complex goals that I have and the reasoning behind them as well as a representation of my hope for clarity in my walk with Christ as a mother and wife. 

That being said, I hope to chronicle my efforts this year with Pearlie Mae in mind.  I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions.  I tried it years ago, but really because it was just what I felt I was supposed to do and everyone else was doing it.  After a couple of months, like so many others, my efforts peter out and I end up just as fat and unhealthy, just as broke and frustrated, just as big a mess as when I started and I get so defeated and disappointed.  Instead of taking the lazy woman’s route: don’t make goals so that you’re never disappointed when you fail or, just do the best I can and hope it works out, I want real and lasting change this year.  The last few months have taught me that I CAN.  I can change, my family can change, and that, most importantly, God did not intend for us to be Jellyfish.  I am not floating about this earth simply for the purposes of “being” of eating and reproducing.  I’m here for a reason. 

Authored January 2016