Friday, October 17, 2014

Gracefully Aging, Day 17 : A Responsiblity to Mentor Part 2

My older sister and my late mom...two of my most precious mentors
In my last post, I talked about the importance of older women sharing their wisdom with younger women in the form of teaching and/or mentoring.

I had asked this question on Facebook:

Ladies, is there a woman older than you that you look up to as a mentor, role model or inspiration? Who is she and why?

Here are more of the replies I received:

Sherry:  My mom has always been there for me through my losses and gains. I love her so much.

Renata:  My mom, Debra. She is an independent, hard working, compassionate, loving, giving, intelligent person. She is my inspiration to be a stronger, wiser person.

Gail:  It's funny that you would ask this question. I have a lady who became an inspiration to me back in 1982 in Washington, D. C. She was my employer for about 3 years. Unfortunately, I did not remain in touch with her over the years. But, I thought of her many times and spoke of her quite often. With the help of modern technology, I've been able to reconnect with her on Facebook after all these years. She relocated to Colorado.

The lady I'm so proud to speak of is someone I'd rather not reveal her name at this time without having her permission. She is now in her 80's. I have told her on Facebook how important she has been to me over the years. She became my employer at a quasi governmental agency in Washington, D. C. She also happened to be from the South. I was hired to be an Administrative Assistant and was compensated generously during my employment.

I found my employer to be an awesome lady. She was professional in every sense of the word. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was amazing. She believed in her faith and was also health conscious. She was married and had children. She led our agency with unbelieveable commitment and passion concerning the education of children. We presented information to the Governor of Maryland. I was involved in producing a published report of our findings which I still have. I was even named in the credits.

My employer not only stayed focused on our mission, but she also showed concern for my well being. If I were sick, she'd bring me rice pudding. She would bring fresh cut flowers for my desk. She instilled in me a desire to be professional in every way that became a part of who I am today. She also provided me the paid opportunity for continuing education. One of those classes was concerning understanding the U. S. Congress.

Kathy:  Mine has been in heaven several years. She prayed for me and sent notes of encouragement.

Tina: My Mom! Her love for the Lord, & her servant's heart!

Is there such a woman in your life? Or maybe you have been able to mentor and encourage a younger woman? Tell me in my comments!

I'm participating in "31 Days: A Writing Challenge,"  in which I 'll be blogging on the subject of Gracefully Aging every day during the month of October.  Click the button below for more information and links to each post as they become available!




4 comments:

Debbie Putman said...

Did you read Pursue the Intentional Life by Jean Fleming? She talks about this very thing. And you are 100% right: mentors are needed in our own lives and we need to be mentors to others. Thanks for your insight.

Karmen said...

Great encouragement! I have lovely mentors some just a few years older, some much older. Our bible study is asking us to pray about who WE could mentor. Thanks for the reminder to do that!

Syncopated Mama said...

Our church has a "Moms mentoring moms" group - I've always thought that was such a great idea to match up empty-nesters with moms like that!

Anonymous said...

There was a lady in our church whose family moved to our town while I was in college. When I came home for the summer, they heard a testimony in which I referred to my unsaved family. They told me any time I needed to talk, to just call them. They started having me over for dinner and included me in their family devotions (they did this with a lot of people, so I never felt "singled out.") I was a fairly new Christian and learned so much just by being in their home and observing how they interacted as a family and her example as a wife, mother, and homemaker. I look on her as a mentor even though I never got the feeling that she was "taking me under her wing" or looking on me as a "project." She was just being her sweet, hospitable self, and my inviting me in, I learned much from her.

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