This beautiful lady, Ruby Astor Mabes Weitzel, would have been 91 years old tomorrow. She left us five years ago next month. Some days it seems as if it was yesterday we were going to doctor appointment after doctor appointment, playing charades to figure out the word she couldn't recall from her memory, and playing hide and seek with the hearing aid batteries. And other days it feels as if she has been gone a lifetime.
I know many of us fear hearing our mother come out of our mouths...or turning into our momma's...for all the reasons we despise. Not all of us are blessed to have a "she's my best friend" relationship with our mothers.
I came across this picture a couple of months ago. For the first time, I discovered myself physically in my mother. I saw my beauty in her young eyes and smile. I noticed my daughter and niece in there too.
I came to the conclusion that today would be a good day to pass along some Ruby-isms I have come to cherish in the last five years. I believe they enhance my beauty. Some she embodied, some I wish she had cultivated to a different level, nevertheless, lesson learned.
-If you have southern roots, honor and revel in them.
-Have one, failproof, homemade ice cream recipe.
-Good shoes make a woman.
-Always have lipstick on hand...I prefer lip gloss, it does the trick.
-Go to church.
-Moisturize. Daily.
-Plant flowers.
-Plant flowers to attract birds.
-Appreciate the beauty of creativity.
-Listen to music....I'll add, all kinds. Open your mind to talent.
-Read. Read. Read.
-There is nothing like a bushel of freestone peaches from North Carolina.
-Walk on the shores of a beach. Collect God's treasures.
-Please and thank you go a long way.
-Show and tell your children and grand babies you love them.
Happy Birthday, Mema.
