My grandmother, Dorothy, showed unconditional love and kindness to my mother—a child she did not give birth to, but one she accepted into her heart as her own.
Now that I am a mother myself, I can see how my grandmother’s influence shaped the atmosphere of my mother’s home. This explains why visiting my grandparents home always felt so familiar; my own childhood home carried that same motherly influence.
The ability to make a house feel like a home is a generational gift that began with Dorothy. She possessed the heart of a servant, creating a loving space for her family to the best of her ability. I saw this firsthand in her home and in the one where I grew up. It is now my own desire to emulate that environment—a place of love and belonging that I have always cherished.
I pray that I can be a mother and a faithful servant to my family and others, just as she taught me to be.
~Cheylynne Shingoitewa (granddaughter)