Melissa (Mike) Moren

See this beautiful woman? She is my grandma (mom's mother). She died when mom was 12, so I never had the privilege of knowing her- but I like to think this picture tells so much of who she was. She's in a boat reading a book. She's giving us a smirk over her shoulder as if to say golly this is the life. 

Grandma Mike had a rough go of it. She lost her house to a fire, she lost her husband to an aneurysm when mom was 2, she lost her son to an auto accident when he was 16. She was left to raise her 6 surviving children on her own in an era when working women were not anyone's ideal. She fought hard and gave my mom some pretty colorful memories- like potato chip/mayo sandwiches and swimming in flooded alleys. Mom was the youngest, with her next sister being a couple years older, so it was just the 3 of them for a while. Though Mom doesn't talk about her growing up years much, when she does it's with a surprised grin over the life they lived. Surviving and making the most of every situation- just like grandma in this picture improving a day on the lake with a book. 

My circumstances don't compare to Grandma's, but I pray that with every bit of bad news I hear, every crisis I face I would face it with tenacity- and a determined smirk to carry on her loving legacy.