Selena Day on Strong Women

Luke 8:22 “Also, some women were with him. They had been cured of evil spirits and various illnesses. These women were Mary, also called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; Joanna, whose husband Chusa was Herod’s administrator; Susanna; and many other women. They provided financial support for Jesus and his disciples.”

I have been blessed with many strong women in my life. My mother was the oldest of six, and her mother was the oldest girl of 13. These women strongly influenced my life.

In the Christian world, we talk a lot about spiritual mothers and fathers, and to be honest, I have never felt the need for one because of the great support I have had from my parents and from the influence of such a large family. It was not until I was older that I became thankful for their influence in my life. I would like to share the stories about several of those women.

My mother has a strength to her that I have not seen in many. She has really been the constant in my life. She has pushed me and tough-loved me when I needed it. She has blessed my family over and over by giving so much to us. Just yesterday, she took us girls out shopping at the thrift store so we could use her senior discount, and then, she would not let me pay her back. She has taken care of my father through his liver transplant and my aunt and uncle when they battled cancer. She was there for my cousins when those same parents passed away.

Then, there’s Chuck’s mother.  She is a female evangelist, and I am thankful for the strong spiritual heritage she has instilled in Chuck. Recently, she began sharing some of her stories of traveling alone and preaching as a young woman. She spoke of the camaraderie she experienced with the older women saints praying for her and encouraging her to keep doing what she felt called to do. She loves being a grandmother. My youngest daughter laughs and talks about how she is the only person she knows that can make you jealous of the younger version of yourself.

Then, there are my grandmothers. Mildred Felice Smith, whom I am named after. She was a spitfire. She was a woman way ahead of her time. Back in the early 1970s when women usually were very grandmotherly, she broke her arm by trying to jump a pile of bricks with her motorcycle. I hope you’re not envisioning a biker chick, because she was far from this. She was very much a junior league southern matriarch. She gave me her sense of adventure. When I was a little girl and would stay at her house, she would load us up in her car and set out to play the “get lost game” … each child would pick the turn at an intersection. It was so exciting as a child to think you were discovering new places.  

Next is Ernestine Brantley Minton. She was your classic southern lady. This is where I got my artistic nature. She was the type of woman who made everyone feel as if they were special. I know that she lead each one of us grandchildren into believing that we were her favorites. She wanted all her girls to be beautiful ladies and all her men to be strong and kind. She called her family “her clan” and always signed her notes and cards with, “thanks for being mine.”

I could go on and on about all the women in my life. I am forever thankful for each of them. Recently, we lost my aunt in a tragic fire, and it made me realize once again how important it is to tell those whom you love and who have made a difference in your life how thankful you are for them. So, if you would allow me to, I would love to say how thankful I am for Sue Brantley, Grace Day, Grace Ward, Jeannie Kyser, Lucy Brantley, Kelly Miller, Ruby Eskew, Nancy Kenney, Gail LaBach, Joy Nesbitt, Carol Pitts, Belinda Dutton, Kathy Brantley, Georgiana Rhea, Carol Byler and Michelle Green. Many of these women are not mothers, but they have made an impact on our ministry. We could not do what we have done without them.   

Don’t forget to celebrate the women in your life.

Selena Day is a motivational speaker and is available to speak at your conference or event.  You may contact her at selenaday@me.com http://www.queenliving.org  http://facebook.com/queenismsbyselenaday. Photographs courtesy of Selena Day.

By Selena Day

Selena Day is a monthly writer for SGNScoops Magazine. As well as all her other accomplishments, she is the better half of Chuck Day, Christian Country artist.

Published by SGNScoops Magazine in May 2017. For the latest SGNScoops Magazine, click here.

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