From Mothers to Daughters

by Molly Moore
Mother and daughter portrait of Molly

Apologies in advance, this is rather long and not very wicked but oddly feels very intimate to me.

Today is International Woman’s Day. My Twitter timeline has been full of people celebrating women from all walks of life but the vast majority have been about significant women of history. I have seen mention of Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Anais Nin, Frida Kahlo and many many more. They are all inspirational women for sure, women to be celebrated and talked about for their contributions to society and their impact on generations of women. However for me the women in my life who have really shaped the person I am today are not famous, they are just what many would call ordinary everyday women but to me, they are way more than that.

My Grandmother (my Mothers mother)

Born in 1928 in the Eastend of London she was the eldest of 5. Her only sister died of TB in her teens and one of her brothers died at 11 of what was then called wasting disease which left just her and two brothers. They moved down to the Sussex coast when she was fairly young. I know nothing about her Father and as far as I know she never had contact with him again. As a child she had measles but recovered, however it damaged her sight, which went unnoticed for many years until a school teacher lambasted her for not being able to tell the time and she told her that she could tell the time she just couldn’t see the clock from that far away. Her sight continued to deteriorate throughout her life and in her late teens she suffered from double detached retina. She did eventually have surgery but that surgery further damaged one of her optic nerves leaving her partially sighted. She wore, what one used to refer to as, jam jar glasses all her life. Most people assumed she was short-sighted but the truth of the matter was that her sight was minimal but she learned to adapt, using her hands to replace her lost vision in such a way that most people had absolutely no idea how bad her sight was.

She left school at 12 and went into service at ‘the big house’ in the village. In that day and age it was a good job and she was actually paid well for her work. As result, unlike most of her peers, she did not get married until she was in her twenties and even then continued to work until having her first child at 25. My Mother was born at the end of the Second World War when she was 28. (For the record my Grandfather was one of the few men rejected for military service during the war as he had advanced farming skills for the time and so was given an exception)

My Grandmother was a remarkable woman in so many ways. She was possibly the kindest gentlest soul I have ever had the experience of spending time with. She was funny, in fact she had a slightly wicked impish streak to her, and despite her dismal lack of formal education she was very bright. Her handwriting was a victim of her sight and her spelling whilst often incorrect showed that she was no dummy as her errors were often phonetically correct. She was also a very good artist, painting amazing pictures often relying on her memory of how a place looked to her when her sight had not been so poor. She tended a garden that was quite frankly one of the most beautiful I have even seen in my life, kept chickens (wringing their necks when required) and nurtured not just her own family but a whole small rural community. She was a loving wife, dedicated to her husband and nursed him tirelessly during the final years of his life when he had emphysema and lung cancer. Refusing to allow him to be taken to the hospital but instead respecting his wishes to die at home with her by his side. She was a loving Mother and a wonderful Grandmother. She taught me how to bake, how to skin a rabbit, how to pluck & gut pheasant, how to make Jam, but most of all she taught me what it meant to be a peaceful, gentle, loving person. She died suddenly in her early 70’s (when I was 21) and I still miss her to this day. I named my daughter after her.

My Mother

She often says of herself that she does not come from working class stock but that she comes from peasant class stock. Post war rural lives where tough but I refer you back to my Grandmother because my Mother was bought up in a loving nurturing environment by a strong capable woman. My mother failed her 11+ exams but that didn’t stop her and after securing herself a whole host of top grade O’levels transferred to the Grammar school to sit her A’levels. She then did something that pretty much no other girl in her village had done before. She left home and went to Brighton University where she studied dress design and from there onto London and a good job with a fairly prestigious design house. Her peasant class status had not held her back. She met my Father (a longish story, maybe for another time) he is older than her (maybe that is where I get it from) and they eventually got married and bought a house together in Kentish Town, which was nothing like it’s now gentrified self. It was the house I grew up in and they still live there to this day.

My Mother endured the pain of multiple miscarriages before finally having me. What she didn’t know then was that there had probably been a reason for these miscarriages and that reason was locked away inside me and would slowly manifest itself throughout my early childhood resulting in a fragile sickly child and her being labelled by doctors as neurotic. Eventually, once I got sick enough, that changed and when I was 6 I had my spleen removed as a cure to my condition. My Father is not good with sickness and hates hospitals and so my Mother took on pretty much all of my care. I was in hospital for extended periods of time and she never left my side, sleeping in a tiny little put you up bed that the hospital found for her (this was in the days before parent sleeping spaces in hospitals existed) After my surgery I was a changed child, I started to grow and the constant round of illnesses pretty much vanish but I am fairly sure the effect of staring her own child’s death in the face remained with my Mother for many years and as a result she was often over protective of me. This is not a criticism of her at all, I understand why she was the way she was. I can’t image what it must have been like to come so close to losing the one child she had finally managed to have and her desire to keep me safe came from a place of deep profound love.

My Mother is fiercely independent to the point of stubbornness at times. She is definitely the strong capable one of my parents (this is not a negative statement about my Father) like her Mother before her she is an exceptional cook and talented gardener. She is a dedicated lifelong learner who set about making a whole new career for herself in her 40’s that eventually saw her teaching at a University. Even now in her early 70’s she continues to study and has for the last few years been going to a weekly French class. Her strong belief in the power of learning and never giving up is one that has most definitely rubbed off on me. She is also a voracious reader. My childhood was surrounded with books and I have fond memories of hours spent in both the local book shop and library with her when I was young.

My Mother and I have at times had a fractious and tense relationship. I have come to learn that is often the way with Mothers and daughters but after some particularly turbulent years we have finally reconnected in a way that makes me very happy. I am an only child, my parents and I have wonderful happy shared memories. They are hugely important people in my life and have shaped the person that I am today but my Mother is the woman who raised me to be the woman who I am and I love her very much.

My daughter

And so we arrive at the future for that is what she is. She carries forth not just snippets of all our genes but also and maybe most importantly of all those precious intangible things that are passed from Mother to daughter, combining us together in one unique remarkable human being.

I count myself lucky in the children stakes having managed to produce one of each variety and I am hugely proud of both of them but for the purpose of this post I am focusing on my daughter.

When I was pregnant the first time I was delighted to learn that I was having a son, when almost 4 years later I got pregnant again I really was not bothered about the gender of my child until the moment they told me it was a girl because all of a sudden it just felt absolutely right that that was what she was; my daughter. She emerged into my life rather early, a tiny little bundle of life, who right from the get go refused to be held back by the disadvantages that a premature birth was supposed to have dealt her. I was told that it would take at least 5 years for her to catch up with her full term peers and even then she may continue to be behind. Just writing that makes me laugh. Clearly they had no idea who they were dealing with. She was a little late to walk and talk but apart from that, and her tiny stature she ignored those warning. At 4 and half I taught her to read, it took me 3 weeks to cover the basics and she reading short novels independently by 5. She could do simple Maths problems by then too. By 8 she had a reading age of 14 (the highest the test they gave her assessed for) like her Mother and Grandmother she is a voracious reader. In fact she puts me to shame, as she reads at speed and can easily get through half a dozen book for every one that I manage.

She is 12 now, soon to be 13 and every day she delights and amazes me (whilst also driving me nuts) Like her Great Grandmother, whose name she bears, she is a kind, gentle, loving soul and like her Grandmother she is independent, strong and has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. She is inquisitive, articulate, thoughtful and funny. She is highly observant; sometime to the point of being nosey (apparently she gets this from me) Lots of people say she is just like me but the funny thing is, she is rather like the woman I am now, but nothing like the child I was. I was shy, timid and quiet. She has her moments of being shy but mainly she is bold, brave and utterly determined; if those things have come from me then all well and good. I have no idea what the future holds for the beautiful creature that is my daughter but I have a feeling that whatever it is she will stamp her remarkable self all over it.

So there you have it, these women are not famous, but to me they are my heroes who are powerful forces of inspiration and love that have nurtured me from birth to my current ripe old age of 43 and yes I include my daughter in that too because although I am her Mother she is just as much of a key female figure in my life as the other two are. I am aware not everyone has the benefits of relationships like this and I am very privileged in that regard. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am very lucky and deeply blessed to be part of this amazing group of women and today on International Women’s Day I honour them because without them I am fairly sure my life would not be what it is today.

I wish I had an image of myself with my Mother and daughter but sadly I do not. However writing this has made me realise that I need to rectify that oversight at the next available opportunity so watch out Mum, I know how much you hate having you photo taken but I am coming for you. In the meantime I offer you Me and mini.

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47 comments

Kayla Lords March 9, 2016 - 12:06 am

Every word of this is beautiful. The women who affect us so deeply and personally are the real heroes. I admire the women who found notoriety and fame but I rely on the women who helped make me into the woman I am today. Love this post!

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 12:26 am

Thank you. I am blessed to have these women in my life that is for sure

Mollyxxx

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Charlie Powell March 9, 2016 - 12:29 am

This is just lovely, Molly. It seems to me that IWD this year, rather than being dogged by anti-feminism as it has been in previous years, has sadly now fallen victim to retailers, who are using it as yet another excuse to make us buy more stuff. So this, I guess, is a great reminder of what really matters, and you’ve made me think about what I love(d) about the women in my family, too, so thank you. Also, that photo is beautiful xx

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 11:52 am

Thank you Charlie and I think you might have a point there. In the main stream media I didn’t find one article about and extraordinary ordinary woman (but would happy to shown one if I am wrong) and I think that is a real shame. Yes women of fame can and are important but surely it should be a day to champion a wider selection than that. I did like Joanna Harris tweets #tenwomen then she did which definitely highlighted the type of people I am talking about.

As for the women in our families, being that close to them means we often are all to too aware of their flaws and it can be good to set that aside sometimes and focus on the things about them that make them amazing to us

Mollyxxx

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Rose Bliss March 9, 2016 - 2:04 am

Thank you, Molly, for posting this. It’s three women like this that have inspired me… my grandmother, my mother and my daughter and now it’s my two granddaughters as well.

There is a magazine that I both love and find frustrating. More Magazine in the US is suppose to be about women in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, but it seems like it’s only meant for women who are famous and rich… mostly company CEO’s and celebrities. There are so many more of us that are successful too, but none of that seems important. What kind of example is that for our daughters and granddaughters? I’d much rather that my girls read your blog and other D/s blogs. They are more encouraging, open-minded, non-judgmental and accepting. That’s what life should be.

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 11:56 am

Yes I hate the media trap of successful women are those who have made money. I believe that success in life has very little to do with that (yes it can make a difference but does not guarantee happiness or contentment) and I hate the message that those are ideals one should strive for and be validated by. Thank you for your lovely comment

Mollyxxx

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Mascha March 9, 2016 - 8:34 am

A wonderful photo of two beautiful woman… and a breathtaking story (have read it with help of Google Translator). The photo I recently admired…

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 11:57 am

Well I hope google translate was not too weird as I have tried that in the past sometimes and found that is comes up with the oddest of things.

Mollyxxx

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Kat March 9, 2016 - 8:37 am

Sitting reading this and trying not to give in to tears. This is a simply beautiful piece of writing Molly… I think your best yet.
I lost my mother quite suddenly at the age of 20 and miss her every day. I am not ashamed to say I am envious of you that you still have yours in your life. You and I are the same age and if she was here today my mom would be 76 and I struggle to imagine what she would look like.
I never had children but would have loved to have a daughter.
They way you write about these women clearly reflects the massive impact they have had on your life and also the deep affection and admiration you have for them. They all sound amazing.
The pride you have in your beautiful girl is evident and I can see why you feel it. I loved reading your Twitter feed about her the other day.
Sorry for rambling… All I wanted to say was how much this post effected me and to tell you I am so happy you have such amazing women in your life.
Now… Go hug that girl of yours and next time you see your mom squeeze her tight! I wish I could with mine.
Much love
Kat x

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 12:19 pm

Oh Kat, your comment actually made me well up. I know that I am very blessed to have these women in my life. My Mum is in her early 70’s and has recently not been well, nothing life threatening but it has effected what she can manage physically. It has worried me a great deal and bought home to me how precious life is and that despite the fact I wish otherwise none of us will be here forever. I am sad about your Mother but if you ever want to borrow a daughter I have a stroppy pre-teen you can borrow 😉

Mollyxxx

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Kat March 9, 2016 - 12:24 pm

Sorry to hear that about your mom Molly.
Your daughter is beautiful, brave and smart, I’d have her over any day!

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f dot leonora March 9, 2016 - 12:16 pm

this is a lovely intimate post, and your mini and you make a lovely portrait!!!

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 12:20 pm

Thank you. She is actually far more photogenic than I am

Mollyxxx

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MariaSibylla March 9, 2016 - 1:51 pm

Molly, this is such a lovely portrait of each of these women. Thank you for sharing it. I can see now where you get your strength and intelligence and caring. I loved your comment above about how it’s sometimes important to let go of our grievances with our mothers and grandmothers and appreciate them for their good qualities. That’s definitely something for me to think more deeply about.

Will you share this essay with your mother and daughter? I’ll bet they’d be thrilled to read it. xx

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 9:35 pm

Thank you Maria. I read this piece to my daughter tonight. We both ended up crying. I have emailed it to my Mother this evening, so time will tell how she feels about it but I hope that it is positive.

Mollyxxx

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International Women's Day: A Personal Thank You - Maria Opens Up March 9, 2016 - 1:52 pm

[…] Molly’s gorgeous post about her grandmother, mother, and daughter reminded me that Wicked Wednesdays do not necessarily […]

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Marie Rebelle March 9, 2016 - 6:36 pm

Thank you for posting this Molly. This is so beautiful, and shows how much you love these three remarkable women! Reading this also made me think of the women in my life, of my grandmother, my mother and both my daughters. Maybe one day I will write a similar post, if only for myself 🙂

Thanks for sharing!

Rebel xox

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 9:36 pm

I would love to read it if you do

Mollyxxx

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petal March 9, 2016 - 7:21 pm

Thank you for sharing your thoughts in such a beautiful post, Molly.
It was fascinating, a joy to read and made me think of the amazing women in my own family. x

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 9:36 pm

Thank you, I am glad you enjoyed it

mollyxxx

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fridayam March 9, 2016 - 7:40 pm

I seem to be the first man to comment on your beautiful and heart-felt post Molly, but the women in men’s lives are also important. My mother was the woman who made me, encouraged me, taught me common sense and manners, most importantly taught me to love women and not see them as something less than me. And she was semi-literate, a Mrs. Malaprop, under whose kitchen table I would sit and read while she prepared food, if she was not teaching me how to cook. Tall, blonde and beautiful, she died the day after our daughter was born. With the added beauty of her mother, though looking nothing like her, our daughter nevertheless has a certain aspect of her grandmother, her pride and her warmth and her empathy. I love all the women in my life but will never forget that started with my mother.

Your photo with mini is a delight 🙂 x

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 9:50 pm

Thank you for this lovely thoughtful comment. Your words about your Mother are beautiful and I think she raised a fine son in you

Mollyxxx

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Forestter March 9, 2016 - 8:19 pm

Molly, this was a warm beautiful post. It made me think of my mother and grandmothers and the good I received from them. The photograph is stunning. Mini reminds me of my daughter at that age, with the smooth skin, long dark hair and the impish look. Beautifully done and thank you.

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 9:51 pm

Thank you and I am glad it inspired some happy memories in you

Mollyxxx

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Julie March 9, 2016 - 8:50 pm

What a lovely post and what amazing women in your family, of course including you. Wonderful read xx

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 9:51 pm

Thank you

Mollyxxx

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Hope Always March 9, 2016 - 9:08 pm

I can echo some of what you have expressed here, I am luck enough to have a photograph with 5 generations in it. 4 of them women of the same time and strength, …..go take that photo x

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Molly Moore March 9, 2016 - 9:52 pm

I intend to as soon as I possible can and one which includes my Dad and my son.

Mollyxxx

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eye March 9, 2016 - 9:43 pm

I loved this. It reminds me to celebrate the wonderful relationship I have with my youngest daughter and to continue to hope for a restored one with my eldest. Thank you x

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Molly Moore March 10, 2016 - 4:06 pm

I am sorry to hear that your relationship with your eldest daughter is strained. I really do hope for both of you that in time that can be healed

Mollyxxx

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Sandra Lindsey March 9, 2016 - 10:01 pm

Thank you for sharing this beautiful & inspirational post, Molly. I find stories of “everyday” people far more interesting than the stories of the 1% who’ve risen to the top of their field, or in wealth, or whathaveyou.

I doubt I will ever be the top 1% at anything, but reading that your mother started a whole new career for herself in her 40s? Well that’s something really admirable that maybe I could do too…

My grandmothers, my mum, and my sisters are all strong influences & inspirations in my life & I couldn’t be more proud to call them my family…

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Molly Moore March 10, 2016 - 4:10 pm

She went from a class room assistant to the IT co-coordinator, finally moving to the University to lecture student teachers on the use of IT programs in teaching. Quite an amazing thing in my opinion. Oh and when it comes to success in older age I always think of Mary Wesley who had her first novel published in her 70’s

Mollyxxx

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sub-Bee March 9, 2016 - 10:55 pm

This is a beautiful post!

I know you know this but I’ll say it anyway. Your daughter is a beautiful and exceptionally talented person with an unquenchable thirst for the world around her, although I’m sure that’s exhausting at times! She is an absolute credit to you and you should be proud xx

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Molly Moore March 10, 2016 - 4:10 pm

I am very proud of both my kids, even when they are driving me up the wall! Thank you for your comment

Mollyxxx

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Cammies on the Floor March 9, 2016 - 11:52 pm

Beautiful post about strong, independent women who have helped shape you

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Molly Moore March 10, 2016 - 4:11 pm

Thank you, they are my heroes

Mollyxxx

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Malflic March 10, 2016 - 2:10 am

An exceptional post and fantastic dedication to the women in your family.

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Molly Moore March 10, 2016 - 4:11 pm

Thank you

Mollyxxx

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Miss J March 10, 2016 - 2:27 am

Such a beautiful article. Your message is just wonderful and what I could decipher is that yes there are famous women who have given their share to the society, but sometimes looking within the family, on how some people have influenced you in your life is also important.

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Molly Moore March 10, 2016 - 4:12 pm

I actually think it is very important and something we often overlook, taking those closet to us for granted and not celebrating them enough

Mollyxxx

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Rachel de Vine March 10, 2016 - 3:11 pm

What a lovely intimate portrait of the women in your life. As I grow older I appreciate my family so much more, as the really important people in my life. Sadly my mother died thirteen years ago and I never knew my grandmothers. Plus I have no children. But I so value the remainder of my family, and the lovely nieces, who tell me that an Auntie is like a Mum, only cooler! High praise indeed. Thank you for a lovely post.

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Molly Moore March 10, 2016 - 4:14 pm

As an only child I have never really had the opportunity to be the cool Aunt. I am currently being a cool step mum though to a young women in her 30’s. She is not that much younger than me but she tells me I am the best SM ever and that means a great deal

Mollyxxx

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Jane March 10, 2016 - 8:41 pm

This is, as others have already said (far more eloquently), so damn beautiful. A truly gorgeous tribute to three amazing-sounding individuals. Your admiration and respect for all three women shines through clearly in your writing – so much so that I can literally feel the emotion in each and every word you’ve committed to the piece. It’s a love letter. And a perfect, perfect way to mark the day.

Jane
xxx

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Rajesh March 11, 2016 - 8:27 am

A very honest account. Wish you happy Woman Day.

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Melina Greenport March 12, 2016 - 8:44 pm

What a lovely tribute. It’s beautiful to hear the list of things your grandmother taught you. How admirable that your mum has been attending weekly French classes for years! I attempted that a few years back and quit after the 2nd lesson. Your daughter sounds delightful & I love this portrait of you two. Thank you for sharing this. xxM

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Molly Moore March 12, 2016 - 8:59 pm

Thank you Melina, my daughter really is an inspiration to me. She is a fine young woman and I am proud to be able to say I am her Mother

Mollyxxx

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LordRaven March 13, 2016 - 10:38 pm

such a beautiful look into the women and young lady that have had such a impact on your life. the history book might not bare their names but their impact on your in no less important if not more so that the others that the masses know for their acts.
I love these personal looks into the lives of others that grace the pages here. thank you so much for sharing. this.

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