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Hadley Court - Interior Design Blog

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A Mother’s Day Story: My Mother’s Legacy To My Daughter

happy mothers day

 

I want to wish all of the mothers a most special day today. I believe that being a mother has been one of the hardest, as well as, one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had. After having my own children, I now have a fuller appreciation for all the wonderful things my own mother did for me.

 

mom

This is my lovely mother! Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! My mother is my style icon, my biggest supporter, and my best friend. My mother has taught me so many life lessons. I believe the greatest lesson she taught me was The Golden Rule.

the golden rule

Just as my grandmother taught my mother, I have tried to teach the golden rule to my children. I pray that my children have a teachable heart so that they will take these life lessons and use them in their lives.  My mother has taught me so many valuable lessons, however, I think her greatest gift to me, my children and future grandchildren, is the book she has written about her childhood and losing her father in World War II.

When Daddy Comes Home

 

In my mother’s book, When Daddy Comes Home, she poignantly recounts losing her father when she was only five years old. Her father, {my grandfather}, was killed in action during World War II only one week before the war ended. My mother spent much of her adult life trying to fill the hole left by the loss of her father. At the age of sixty two, my mother asked her mother to see the letters she had received from her father during the war.

My grandmother found the letters and she and my mother began pouring over what had been buried for six decades. The reading of her father’s letters began the healing of my mother’s loss and the reconciliation with the fact that her father never came home. My mother’s book, When Daddy Comes Home, is a story of loss but is also tells a profound love story between her mother and father.

What struck me the most after reading my mother’s book, was how terribly strong my grandmother and mother were. My grandmother was left with 3 children and no means of supporting them. Through grit and pure determination she managed to provide for them. My mother, at the ripe age of five years old, became the chief caregiver for her siblings when her mother was at work. The end of the war also marked the end of her carefree childhood.

My grandmother and mother were survivors. I now understand when I see my daughter dig her heels in and make her mind up to do something that this is simply her legacy. She is the product of generations of strong women who will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

So, to all the mothers who have sacrificed to raise your children, I wish you the Happiest Mother’s Day of all. And to my own mother and grandmother, thank you for making me the person I am today.

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About Leslie Hendrix Wood

Leslie Hendrix Wood is the founding editor of the luxury lifestyle and design blog, Hadley Court and an interior decorator with Chancellor Interiors in Midland, Texas.

Leslie received her undergraduate degree in business. She worked briefly in banking and returned to school to earn her MBA.

Upon graduation, she moved to Washington D.C. to work on a Presidential campaign and received a Presidential appointment to a position in International Trade.

At the end of the administration, Leslie returned to her hometown and joined the family oil and gas business, although her first passion has always been, after raising her children with her husband, business and interior design.

When she saw her children were closer to leaving home, she decided to start the blog, Hadley Court. in 2012, which won the Design Bloggers Conference Hall of Fame award for Best New Design Blog in 2013 - a prestigious honor granted by her peers.

In 2014, she is, in addition to blogging, beginning to build the family friendly luxury lifestyle brand: HADLEY COURT, based on her values of Gracious Living, Timeless Design and Family Traditions.

« Self Care for Moms : Mother’s Day Ideas
Our 5 Favorite Organizing Tools For Home + Travel »

Comments

  1. FrenchGardenHouse says

    August 7, 2014 at 10:56 am

    Leslie, I know it’s late to reply, but just wanted to let you know how touched by this post I was today. Like you, my Mother was my biggest supporter. She survived living in Europe during WWII, immigrated to the USA with just me by her side and carved out a wonderful life here for us. She died last year, an oh! how I miss her. This “My grandmother and mother were survivors. I now understand when I see my daughter dig her heels in and make her mind up to do something that this is simply her legacy. She is the product of generations of strong women who will do whatever it takes to get the job done.” really hit home for me. It made me smile. At times when I wonder why my own girls can be so stubborn, it makes sense. Thank you for sharing from your heart. Lidy

    • Leslie Hendrix Wood says

      August 8, 2014 at 9:06 am

      Lidy,
      Thank you so much for your kind words. Wow, your mother sounds like the ultimate survivor and so very brave. How fortunate we both are to have such a legacy that can be carried through the generations. Won’t it be a true delight to see how a legacy of such grit and determination will manifest itself in our children’s lives.
      Wishing you all the best,
      Leslie Wood

  2. Alison at The Gracious Posse says

    May 12, 2014 at 5:00 am

    What a beautiful tribute to your mother and grandmother, as well as your daughter. How proud you must be of them all. Thanks for sharing, and I hope you had a joy-filled Mother’s Day, Leslie.

    • Leslie Hendrix Wood says

      May 12, 2014 at 7:07 am

      Thank you for taking your time to stop by and comment, Alison. I appreciate it. I am proud of them all and grateful for the lessons I’ve been taught by each of them over the years. I hope you had a nice Mother’s Day, too, and have a good week ahead.

      Leslie Hendrix Wood

  3. RedBalloon offer says

    May 12, 2014 at 12:52 am

    We’re a bunch of volunteers and opening a brand new scheme in our community.
    Your site provided us with useful information to work on. You’ve performed an impressive task and our whole neighborhood might be thankful to you.

  4. Jerry Rogers says

    May 11, 2014 at 11:56 am

    Your mom cried she was so touched by your words.

  5. Lisa Porter says

    May 11, 2014 at 8:37 am

    What a gift you are. A beautiful story about remarkable women. You are so very fortunate. Thank you for sharing and Happy Mother’s Day.
    Xo

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Hadley Court is my family’s summer home where I spent my summers as a child. Every day at Hadley Court was a celebration of fine living.
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