What's In Your Wallet?

In my universe, I have this theory about my mother and my mother-in-law. Together (though really never together) they save the world. If someone is having a struggle or a difficult time with something, I will say that I will get Grammie and Nana on the case. Give it up to the higher powers, the matriarchs in my life and let them do their stuff.

My mother-in-law, Julie, is a very spiritual person. She is calm and soft spoken. She will try to rationalize a particular behavior, or she will summon her faith for answers. She reads lots and lots of stories about spirituality, religion, faith and God. She trusts in the Lord. She has, I joke, the red phone to Jesus.

My mom, on the other hand, is a worrier -- she has a vivid imagination and can get from zero to lockdown faster than you can say good morning. Mom is like the little box of worry dolls you use to keep next to the bed. You can pass them to her and she'll carry them for you. She reads your blogs, reads into your status updates and analyzes your link choices. And, she can pull out an article, a book, a tip, or a lead on the solution to your troubles, because she soaks up information and stores it for future use. She never forgets a birthday, an anniversary, or a sad day that might need some acknowledgement or recognition.

Yesterday, I read a story from Real Simple magazine called Inside the God Box. You can find the story here, and I encourage you to pull up a tissue box and get to it. It is a beautiful story about loss, love, hope and faith. I see now that my 'God Box' is shaped a little differently - like two Irish women standing ready to serve. I am - we all are - truly blessed.