Tuesday, March 8, 2011

grace

dear emily,

one of my idols is an 80 year old great grandma, who sings like
an angel, looks perfectly beautiful ALL THE TIME, and has
gracious words for everyone.  don't you just hate people like
that?



our choir director wants her to teach classes to the rest of us
'younger' ladies.  i have already gleaned so much by osmosis
but could certainly stand more formal training.

here's what she has tried to teach me so far:

1.   love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and strength . . .
and your neighbor as yourself.

2.   take a few moments to make yourself presentable.  messy
hair and an unwashed face is not an expression of beauty.

3.   if you think kind thoughts, you will express kind words.
if you consider others before yourself, you will rarely have to
apologize for bad behavior.

4.   stand up nice and straight.

5.   be will prepared for everything you do.

6.   have a sense of humor and never take yourself too
seriously.  looking at your backside in the mirror is helpful.

7.   when uncomfortable at a social function, look for someone
who looks the same.  that person will be grateful for your
attention.   the popular folks will never miss you.

what are your tips?

love,
lea

"do nothing out of vain conceit, but in humility consider others
better than yourselves."  philippians 2:3

ps.  this is an edited repost.  the first time i wrote it, one person
read it.


49 comments:

Farm Girl said...

I think I would like your Grandma too. Well, I am so glad you kept writing because I might not have found you and been so blessed. :)
Thank you

Debbie said...

What a wonderful list...simple, but profound wisdom. What a blessing she must be to you! Hugs, Debbie

Linda said...

I'm sure more than one person read your previous post. If now, we are reading it now. It is a beautiful tribute to a gracious lady. My MIL could be her, in her graciousness. She never has an unkind word,and is always cheerful. She is in a nursing home, and I hear all the time about her cheerful countenance. I hope I grow old,or older, with a gracious spirit.

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

My tip...find all those older women...age 70 and up and glean, glean, glean from them...in them are the treasures of real life! They also glow for the Glory of God!

Now I do hope there are some treasures in us over age 40! I might need to do some re-post...yours is great and I came so far into your journey of blogging.

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

check is in the mail....LOL you crack me up...thanks for the laughter!

Vee said...

Very good advice. I confess that I skip 6b as often as I can. :D

myletterstoemily said...

vee: ha ha! me, too.

Unknown said...

Great list and the one about the backside cracked me up!

Town and Country House said...

Lea, this is a great list! I especially like number 7 (I might make it my number 2), great advice.

BonjourRomance said...

She sounds like a marvelous lady! We all need to learn from the wisdom of older ladies like this. Her list is great, and #6 was hilarious, and very true!
Good week to you,
Mimi

BonjourRomance said...

OOps I meant #6 was hilarious - I am out of it here

Sandy said...

What a wonderful and wise woman.
You are blessed to know and love
her. I know I would enjoy being
with her and just sitting and
talking. I can't believe you
ever wrote anything and only
one person commented.
Love,
Sandy

Rachel said...

I kinda sorta adore that woman.

What wise words and a sense of humor to boot..!

Anonymous said...

What wonderful advice and such a blessing to know someone so wise and kind who loves the Lord.

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

yes, I would have to agree... #6 is important, sometimes even shocking! :)

Jenners said...

Those are wise words, and I need to remind myself of them and practice them more often.

And I just love that photo!

Southern Lady said...

Lea, I am so glad that you reposted. I believe I could benefit from a class taught by her. Carla

koralee said...

What a wonderful list...this post so inspired today. Thank you my friend. xoxo

Michelle said...

GREAT tips!

myletterstoemily said...

sonja: it always shocks me!

Joan Elizabeth said...

Enjoy aging ... I believe calm and graciousness comes with the process.

~*~ saskia ~*~ said...

That's a Lovely list, Lea.
Do have a lovely Wednesday! xxxx

Tamara said...

I have a number of "older" women friends and I often tell them, "When I grow up, I want to be like you!"

Being in their presence is a lot like sitting at the feet of Jesus, don't you think?

Thank you so much for sharing this post!

Kathleen said...

What a great collection! I call that "grace afoot".

Oh that we'd all take the time to fancy up our interiors & exteriors with such beauty & grace.

Blessings,
Kathleen

myletterstoemily said...

well said, joan! i think if our hearts are
His, we should truly age from glory to
glory.

Jessica Renshaw said...

She sounds like my 91-year old mother-in-law, the embodiment of grace. Only (I'm sorry, I shouldn't be negative my first time here, I hope to be accepted back) but please don't say, Don't you hate women like that? I'm 5 feet, 1/2 inch, and was always a size 6--part genes, part will power. But so many friends told me, "You stay so thin. That's disgusting!" that my will power totally gave way under the longing to be like everybody else. Anyway, I had to tell somebody. Thanks for listening. I know I'm going to enjoy your blog!

myletterstoemily said...

jessica: thanks for calling me out. i was
being silly. i adore her!

Jessica Renshaw said...

Bless your heart, Lea (is that your name?) Thank you for the personal note. My friends were just kidding, too. It deflated me at the time but you didn't offend me. I'm going to keep reading because I'd like to know you better.

TeriGigi/Girl Meets Paris said...

I am randomly catching up on blog reading today...glad I didn't miss this one. I love it when the younger learn from the older... Except the other day at Bible study they were saying to women like ME to come along side the younger women and try to be an encouragement...when did I get old? Ha ha.

Gloria said...

Great list!

My fav tips are: #1, #3, and #6! :)

I have so much fun listening to the words of wisdom of those who are older in age (but not in heart), and who know SO much more than I DO! :)

Have a happy day!

xoxo Gloria

Darcie said...

I have to say, #7 was right down my alley. Large groups always overwhelm me, and I always do try to seek out the more quiet ones. Quiet ones have a lot of depth too. However...I LOVED all her tips, and I can just picture her in my minds eye right now.

Champagne Macarons said...

Wonderful list! Your friend sounds very charming and wise.
xoxo, B

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

She sounds like the perfect example of a 'lady' back in the days when 'a lady' is what women often aspired to be. It's a sad reminder that not enough young women aspire to it nowadays.

You know me - I have many tidbits of wisdom in my blog. Today, one that is in the forefront of my mind is 'Keep your nose clean.' It's literal and metaphorical....good, old fashioned advice from the lady who raised me.

Jodie | Velour said...

She sounds fantastic. :) I hope that I can age gracefully. I hope it really is true that calm and graciousness come with aging. I could use a generous heaping of both.
I love #7. I'm usually uncomfortable in social situations and wait around hoping to be rescued. Next time, I'll purpose to be the rescuer. I know it's a good feeling being on the receiving end.
Actually, I can't say I only love #7. I love them all. She sounds precious. :)

Unknown said...

i hands down LOVE ur blog and the whole concept of me -i'm a fan!

~LAST DAY 2 JOIN CUSTOM SIGN GIVEAWAY~

*kiss kiss*
Erika @ ~Tiptoe Butterfly~

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Good advice but for me, number two would take more than a few minutes. Come to think of it, a lot more than a few minutes!

Southern Lady said...

Hey Lea, I will certainly share Carson's final songs! Thanks for asking how I am holding up with one graduating. I am okay for now..just nervously waiting for a couple of college admission decisions. That has been tough. Catie hasn't heard from her top choices yet. I'll let you know how I am doing as her time to leave home approaches! Carla

A Tale of Two Cities said...

Such wisdom comes from years of experience. God knew what He was doing when He suggested we younger women learn from the older women. Of course, it's my task too, to make a difference in the lives of the younger women around me. Two way street!

Kaye Swain - SandwichINK for Grandparents and Caregivers said...

Great tips! What a legacy you are sharing from this great grandma - which is definitely an encouragement to me as well. :)

Lisa said...

As my late Grandmother used to say,"You don't get to be old by bein' no fool!":)

Glenda said...

What powerful, yet practical lessons for all of us . . .and what a different world we would live in if we all followed this list!

Thanks for stopping by my blog; come again!

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Sounds like my kind of teacher! I miss my wise "ancients." I'm glad you reposted it; 42 beats 1!

peace~elaine

Rosie said...

Oh what a wonderful list! We ALL should have at least one (preferably more) mentor. Ya, they are all fine, but #7 is close to my heart...or backside...giggle.
Love to you my dear...Rosie

Jo said...

Oh, how wonderful. She sounds like my grandmother, who was beautiful, elegant and kind. There is no place in this world for unkindness.

Cheers,

Jo

Anne Lyken-Garner said...

Great advice. Sadly, my grandmother was not the advice-giving type.
My thought for today is to take time with what you're doing now. Don't rush what you're doing so that you can do something else.
Take pride in what you do - and time.
I like the stand up straight part. It makes you look a lot younger, prettier and healthier.

Ronda said...

Love that Nita!!! She's so inspiring! can you fix it so your blog goes to my email automatically, I don't know how to do it.

myletterstoemily said...

oh ronda,

i don't know how to do that . . . but
will ask someone.

Maria said...

Hi Lea!
What a beautiful post...
I'm comment # 47... so many more than that have read this today... I'm so glad you re-posted it! The list is so important... all of them are great!
It would be wonderful to frame this and hang it near the front door... to always remember wherever we go!
Have a wonderful weekend *
~ smiles ~
Maria

Simple Home said...

I've been reading some of your posts and they are wonderful. I was blessed by your wisdom and insight.
My mom just turned 85 last week. I still glean insight from her :-)
Blessings,
Marcia