Heritage

When I Grow Up…

Since Mother’s Day is this weekend, for my Show & Tell I wanted to show you something I “inherited” from my mother…

As Mother was unpacking her luggage when she and Dad were here in March, she handed me this 40-some-year-old stationery box.
“Oh, Mother!” I said somewhat reverently as she placed it in my hands. “You found it! Do I get to keep it?”

She seemed a little surprised. “Do you even know what it is?”

“I know exactly what it is!” I told her. “It’s our wedding veil! I don’t think I’ve seen it since my wedding. I thought it was lost!”

“Well, I thought you had it all these years, but I came across it the other day. And, yes, you may keep it, since the other girls didn’t wear it.”
You see, it was actually her wedding veil from 1965. But I wore it for my wedding in 1985 as “something old” and “something borrowed”. Mother didn’t give it to me then because she didn’t know if either of my sisters might want to wear it for their weddings, too. And since it turns out they didn’t, she passed it on to me!
Ever since I was a very little girl I’ve loved Mother’s veil. She designed and made it herself from alencon lace, seed pearls, and tulle. She had a tradition in the early years of putting on her wedding gown and veil every year on her anniversary. Here is a picture from 1968 where she let me try on the lovely veil:
I’m sure she’s holding my hands so I wouldn’t try to mess with it and tear it up! I felt like a fairy princess or something to get to try on something so beautiful. I wanted to be just like my mother when I grew up.

The years have come and gone. Now I’m middle-aged and my mother is a “senior citizen”… but that still seems to be my ultimate goal in life: to be just like Mother when I grow up. I’m still learning and growing… and trying my best to pattern my life after hers. She has always been the example of a perfect lady, a gracious pastor’s wife, and a devoted wife and mother. Her mother before her was the same way… and even my great-grandmother was. I have a precious heritage because my “fore-mothers” followed Jesus. Ultimately, that’s who my life will be patterned after if I follow in their steps.

I love you, Mother!
Happy Mother’s Day!

Show and Tell

13 Comments

  • Edi

    How wonderful that your veil came back to you!

    I’m not sure where my wedding veil is. You see if was originally my oldest sister’s veil…then my second youngest sister revamped it a bit and wore it – then I revamped it again and wore it too! There were 5 of us girls and 3 got to share the same veil – would have been fun it all 5 of us wore it – but it was not to be.

  • pse

    Oh, Karla, what a special Mother’s Day gift. How you do honor me! I am so blessed to be your mother. I’m sure your daughters will want to follow in your footsteps someday also.

  • Aliene

    What a wonderful Mother’s Day gift for you from your MOTHER. I know you got it in March but as Mother’s Day is here – isn’t it nice to look at and say “this was my Mother’s?” I was at her wedding so this is my 2nd time to see it. But you are so privileged. Not many daughters have such a treasure.
    Aunt Lene

  • Jaderocks

    What a beautiful post about your mother and the veil. I think the picture of you as a child wearing the veil is so precious. What an heirloom. A perfect way to honor your mother.

  • e-Mom

    This story made my day! What a treasure! And what a legacy of Godly Christian mothers you are part of. You are blessed beyond belief. Thanks for sharing this with us.

    Happy Mother’s Day!

  • Tiffany

    This is my favorite show and tell yet! It is so sentimental and inspiring too. I also love that, though you each wore the same veil, you wore it according to your own personality and the time in which you wore it. Your mother wore it further forward and you wore it further back. Beautiful both ways!

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