Doubting yourself lately?
Feeling like you don’t have it all figured out?
Read this.
This woman, my mother, had eight children before she turned 28.
She didn’t graduate high school with her class, but she still earned her diploma. And despite having no formal training, she went on to produce TV and radio commercials, design marketing for multimillion-dollar companies, and work alongside legends like Martin Luther King Jr., Johnny Cash, and Dolly Parton.
She worked outside the home when it wasn’t common for women to do so, yet still made most of our clothes, cooked meals from scratch, led Bible studies, and ran a household like a well-oiled machine.
Somehow, there was always room for one more at the table, an extra potato in the pot, a willing shoulder for whatever friend happened to show up needing comfort.
She didn’t have a laptop to keep records, a cellphone to track kids, or even her own transportation for much of that time.
But she had grit.
She had resourcefulness, faith.
She could take something broken—a discarded dresser on the curb—and turn it into something beautiful, something cherished.
Now, as a mother myself with grown children of my own, I find myself reflecting on her more often. Especially with Mother’s Day approaching.
I think back to when she was my age. I made her a quilt with the faces of her eight children on it. That was more than two decades ago.
And today? She’s still got that same fire.
She uses a laptop now and is writing her memoir. She texts. She even uses emojis and reminds us daily that she’s still got it—driving herself, living independently, and keeping the eight of us, her 28 grands and 15 great grands on our toes, and in her daily prayers.
So much has changed from her generation to mine—and continues to change at lightning speed. But what amazes me most is how she’s adapted without ever losing who she is.
I know firsthand her years on this earth have not always been easy, fun or without challenges. That’s the way life is for any of us. Up and down. Exhausting and exhilarating.
Yes, it’s hard to keep up sometimes.
Yes, we doubt ourselves.
Yes, we get overwhelmed.
But let’s not forget: women like my mother built the foundation for women
like us.
We were raised to be resilient.
We’ve been figuring out our entire lives—just like they did.
We’ve been taught how to survive, to endure. And we’re still doing it, even today.
We’re building dreams our mothers could barely imagine.
We’re creating lives filled with choices they never had.
What a time to be alive.
What a legacy to carry.
What an honor to celebrate.
This Mother’s Day, remember this:
Even if you’re not exactly where you want to be—
Even if you’re questioning your path—
You are doing something bold.
Your grit is being polished into pearls.
And those pearls will shine for generations to come.
This Mother’s Day, honor the legacy.
Celebrate the strength, the grit.
Never forget where you came from or the path you’re setting next.
© Michelle Bryant Griffin