Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Psalm 128:3 (NIV)

Welcome to Throwback Thursday!

My mom was born in Louisiana, raised by a father who adored his children and a mother who was a literal force of nature. My grandmother was a “quiet storm”—a praying woman who kept a tight rein on her household and could turn a handful of switches into a lesson in discipline. Yet, out of that structured garden, my mom grew as the “wild one” of the bunch.

She was a hoot. She’d have full-blown conversations with herself, and even if you were sitting right next to her, you wouldn’t hear a single word! But most importantly, in her early years of parenting, she gave me the space to discover who I was.

I can still see myself sitting on the kitchen counter while she prepared hors d’oeuvres for a party. That memory is etched so deep it feels like yesterday; whenever it surfaces, it wraps me in a warm assurance that I was truly loved. That was the day we formed our “united front.” Without even realizing it, she sealed an unbreakable deal by letting me eat every olive my little stomach could hold. To this day, those olives symbolize our relationship: resilient, salty, and everlasting.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of mothers who see us, indulge our curiosities, and form “united fronts” with us against the world. We thank You for the lineage of praying grandmothers and the “wild” joy of mothers who teach us to be ourselves. Lord, let our relationships be like the olive tree—deeply rooted in Your love, resilient through every storm, and always bearing the fruit of peace. May the memories of simple kindnesses, like sharing a bowl of olives, remind us forever that we are cherished by You. Amen.