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Strong Woman
Snazzy, sassy, snappy lady, you know just who you are.
Your spine of steel, your heart of gold have carried you very far.
The gleam of your eye, the sparkle of your smile, the booming sound of your laugh,
the sway of your hips, your confident stride touch everyone in your path.
Convictions so deep, knowledge so broad, leave an impression wherever you go.
You open your arms to welcome us in, encasing us in your warm glow.
You dress to the nines, with fierceness so sweet
from the hat on your head to the shoes on your feet
You are grace under pressure, the epitome of style
whether dressing for church or staying home for a while.
You lead by example, knowing we will follow
Always ready with wisdom at times tough to swallow.
Mama Sadie, Ms. Ginny, Aunt Sarah, Aunt Anne;
Ms. Julia, Nana Grace, Ms. Mary, Ms. Fran.
Your names make us smile – so much love, so much strength.
We give you respect while we marvel at the lengths
to which you will go to protect those you love,
to show us the path set by God up above
that we must walk even when times get so tough.
You show us a Faith abundant enough
to get us through whatever the season
and won’t hesitate to give us a reason
why we can’t give up, get down, let go.
See even when we have our doubts, YOU know.
You have the confidence of ten thousand men
and know how to be the first to defend
those who live under your watchful eye.
It’s as though you’re an angel sent down from the sky
whose purpose here is to teach us right from wrong –
to give us the notes to our own personal song.
You’re a shining example of how persistence does pay
and kicking our behinds when we often lose our way
as impertinent children so regularly do;
but there’s never a time when we can’t rely on you
to bring us back to the place we should be
and remind us that the world is all about the WE.
You speak your mind without one single worry,
Do things in your own time without a bit of hurry.
At times you can seem tougher than a chew of rawhide,
but won’t hesitate to show your softer side
because you know sometimes what your children require
is a safe, quiet, warm place to lay down, retire.
So you open up your arms, your heart, your very home.
You assure us that never is a day that we’re alone.
You provide words of wisdom, of comfort, of love;
and then when the time is right, a quick, gentle shove.
You push us out of the nest and onto our feet
but never truly leave us alone in the street.
You give all your children the tools to survive,
what we need to be successful, be happy, to thrive.
But you also give us knowledge that when the day is through
we can always return to the solace of you.
You know that blood does not always mark who is family
and have an unspoken code to watch and oversee
the children of your sisters, your neighbors, your friends;
the responsibility goes on forever, it never ends.
You have always known the type of village it takes
to ensure we are protected from our own big mistakes.
You know we will make too many errors to ever track
but are there to point them out and make up where we lack.
Your life hasn’t been easy, the road has been tough,
but the hallmark of you is never saying “I’ve had enough.”
You never gave up when the path has been hard,
you merely raised up your chin and brought up your guard.
Always prepared to do battle, no matter what came,
as secure in your ability as you are in your name.
The struggles you faced took on many a form
and at times it seemed fighting was just your new norm.
There are scars, and bruises, and lingering pain.
But you conquered the darkness, the downpours, the rain.
You came through it all with an abundance of Faith
in yourself, in your love, in your Creator’s Amazing Grace.
And now you are here to serve as guardian of us all;
to help lift us up at those times when we fall.
You listen, you watch, you observe what we do
and wait patiently, knowing that we’ll come to you
when we are in need of the guidance you’ll give
to help us be successful in the lives that we live.
There are no words to express just how much you mean,
even though there are times we know it can seem
that we are ungrateful for all that you bring.
We can be as fickle as the weather in the spring.
For it’s hard to admit that at times we don’t know
even half of the things we need if we’re to grow.
But even if we do not always show our thanks,
even if we’re bitter over the occasional spanks
that came our way when we were so young
(and claimed what we did was all in good fun)
we know you’ve always had our best interests at heart
and wanted to show us how to be smart
with the choices we made as we started to grow -
you did a great job of teaching what we should know.
So right now, today, right here in this space,
we want to take time to say to your face
that we have always appreciated the things that you do
but even more than that, we truly love you.
