WOMEN ❤️ The gift of being raised without women ❤️

Growth is insightful. When I was young I always felt it would be magical to be raised with sisters. I had all brothers. I loved literature that told stories about women. Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, Bronte sisters and so many more. Movies like Beaches, Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Secret life of Bees, Little Women and more are always my favorites. I love listening to groups of women laughing, and watching them make things happen together. I have always been drawn to the compassion, creativity, and the strength of women.

For too many years of my life I have been sad I wasn’t raised with the support of women. No grandmas, no aunts, no sisters and really not very many girlfriends for myself or my mom, because of constant moving and school changes. Lets face it, girls don’t like the new girls moving into their friend group, their cheer squad, dance squad or dating “their” guys🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀

I have for decades felt like a piece of me wasn‘t complete because I would be wishing for the dynamics I would see in others as Grandmas held babies, aunts cooked together, cousins were best friends or sisters would laugh making holiday food etc. A dream I knew would never be in my life.

This summer has been one full of trials (none serious) that have been exhausting emotionally and physically. Adult kids moved home, my son needing a hip surgery, a week later my husband having emergency back surgery, me already committed to talks all over in June for girls camps, and single wards and committed to hosting a big back yard garden dinner for our church, going to Hawaii to move my daughter in law, and putting on my sons wedding in our back yard. Someone said to me ”you love busy, that wouldn’t be hard for you”. Let me tell you no sleep and meeting others physical needs and running everything as a one man show IS hard. All around draining🤦‍♀️

Here is the BEAUTIFUL thing I discovered this summer💗❤️💗

You don’t have to be born into a family with women to have amazing relationships with women. You don’t have to be a DNA sister to have a sisterhood.

I realized that a gift I have from not being raised with a “tribe” of women, you know the sister you call when life is hard, the grandma who comes and helps you can food, the girlfriends that rally to make a baby shower etc, is that I have had time available to reach out and get to know lots of other women. My calendar isn’t full with ”my tribe”, my plate isn’t full with ”my extended family” I am not a part of comfortable “click” that went to high school together or were raised as cousins etc. , I simply don’t have one. Outside of my parents in Ogden, my two brothers in Salt Lake City, and my children there is no one else. No cousins, sisters, aunts or grandma’s.

I love women. I love their intuition, their grace, their laughs, sense of adventure and intellect. This month I have been humbled and touched. I have had women step up and serve me like never before in my life. In ABUNDANCE!! I felt like I had countless sisters and grandmas. How beautiful it was for my heart to be full this month. To come to the realization that I am not missing sisterhood in my life. I am not missing girlfriends or women who can mentor me. I have them in abundance!

I had a woman I love and who had nurtured me for two decades comfort me with wise advice during a time this month of serious issues for this mother’s heart 💗 I had women call, text and come by with planters, bistro tables, and love without me asking. I had a couple show up and weed our vegetable garden. I had a friend who made the invites for my daughter in laws baby shower and made them beautifully and with her heart 💗 in a way that my picky over the top self would want them🤷‍♀️😉 I had a women watch over me and be there for set up with her family, making sure everything was perfect without me asking. Cleaning up during the wedding, giving up her sparkler to be sure my husband was in the send off line as she stepped back quietly and watched from behind to give someone else the experience. Forever that will be engraved on my heart 💗 it sums up her endless behind the scene hours of serving me. I had a girlfriend drive to get the cookies, another morning drive to get a cake for the baby shower. I had my kitchen filled with love as two women I love made center pieces. I had a beautiful women show up with her daughter and work hard to get things done before and after the wedding. My sweet friend who is busy with college and raising her children made my sons wedding cake with so much love and my heart will forever hold on to her tender service for my family. A woman I love contacted me last minute and came and served cake all night for me and her offer came the same day we were wondering how we would get it served.

The morning of the baby shower a priesthood blessing I was given was fulfilled. In a blessing I asked for before the wedding to get help to not have anxiety and to be full of love, I was surprised when I was told that I was loved and to accept the love that many will be giving me. I saw that unfold this week in a humbling way. I am not comfortable being the receiver. I love to give. The morning of the baby shower I was moved with all the women who came with their hearts 💗 open pouring love on my family. Sincere genuine love. Love that lifts, comforts, heals. The love that comes from the pure love of Christ. My home was blessed with light and love like I have never experienced in my home. The strength of beautiful women who came in abundance gifted me with such love that my heart felt so full. Full in a place where I have always felt empty. The connection with women. The desire to have my “girl tribe”. I can never express what the many women who served me did for me this month. The realization that such deep love can come from people outside of your blood was an eye opener. The realization that I have the gift of loving so many diverse women in different stages in their lives because I have no “women tribe” is a gift to my life. The beauty of women who act on their promptings to reach out to others is how miracles happen💗

I didn’t have a sound system and just like that the day after talking about how I would get one, a sweet friend randomly asked me if I wanted to use her sound system. I had forgotten to make this amazing coconut fruit dip for the baby shower and just like that I get a text from the owner of the recipe offering help and asking if she can make the yummy dip for me. I had beautiful individualized cake pops made by the coolest grandma, amazing rolls by a friend, quiches given to me, a friend come with her daughter before and after events to work hard and support me. I was brought to tears. little things are a big thing!!! My son is married and on Sunday I was questioning myself as a mother. If I had done enough, did I raise him to be all a husband and father need to be? Then I got the most touching text from a woman I admire and respect showering me with compliments of virtues that matter to my 💗. I realized I am gifted with many sisters, grandmas, and aunts I cherish in my neighborhood. I am blessed to love many women and be the recipient of the love of many women.

I thought to myself last night after the closure of these three whirl wind months, I am so blessed to have the gift of not being raised with women. I value relationships with other women because I know what it is not to have them in my life. I cherish the good individual women bring to the table because I love having their beauty deepen my life. I realized last night because of what I didn’t have growing up God has graced me with my righteous desires and placed me in a neighborhood with amazing women who value love and kindness. I felt a heart full of gratitude for my blessings of being raised without women so that I could fully cherish the awakening I was blessed with this summer of how God has watched over me and put amazing women in my life to bless me, love me, mentor me, support me, cry with me, laugh with me and better me. My heart is whole💗 as I let a piece of my heart go with my son being married God stepped in and filled my heart with the love of women that aren’t my DNA. Thankful! Blessed! Humbled! Not feeling alone🙏😘💗