marmee-lade

I didn’t actually read Little Women until I was in my 20s.  My late 20s.  But, I become familiar with the story much earlier thanks to the 1994 movie remake.  It’s funny that whether it's Winona Ryder or June Allyson, we all love Jo.  She is written so well.  She’s quick-witted and clever.  She’s bumbling and brash.  She’s real.  And she is just one individual of a greater family unit.  You can’t fully fall in love with one piece without falling in love with all those other pieces and their resulting connected wholeness.  Mrs. March, or Marmee as the girls call her, is impetuous Jo's counterpart.  She is insightful, encouraging, correcting, steadfast. 

When considering this weekend’s upcoming celebration of moms everywhere, I can’t help but think about the beautiful mother-daughter relationship modeled through this classic story.  I also think about the beautiful truths modeled through this relationship.  One of my favorites being that we can always share even the little with have with one another to great effect.  At one point in the book, Jo is off on her own and it’s the holidays.  She is a bit down as she is far away from her loved ones and disappointed to think they had forgotten her.  But then she receives a bundle of goodies from them and the best kind of goodies, at that:  “I hugged it and pranced.  It was so homey and refreshing that I sat down on the floor and read and looked and ate and laughed and cried, in my usual absurd way.  The things were just what I wanted and all the better for being made instead of bought.”

Whether you will be delivering your gift in person or sending it with love, let this inspires you to spend some time creating a wonderful gift for your Marmee.  Homemade jam...a handmade card...a homespun gift: these used to be and still are the best kind of gifts!