Girl Power
By, Cheryl Harwell Bailey
This is my maternal Grandmother Vivian Juanita Donaldson, holding my mother.
Enjoying a sun soaked snowy day in the majestic California Sequoias.
Notice how she is dressed in 1937.
She would be right in style for 2021.
The beautiful Lady wearing the most stunning hat,
is my grandma, Nancy Harwell. Notice she is wearing gloves.
I often wonder what she is holding in her hand?
A love letter perhaps?
From who else but her future husband, my grandpa!
Enjoying a sun soaked snowy day in the majestic California Sequoias.
Notice how she is dressed in 1937.
She would be right in style for 2021.
The beautiful Lady wearing the most stunning hat,
is my grandma, Nancy Harwell. Notice she is wearing gloves.
I often wonder what she is holding in her hand?
A love letter perhaps?
From who else but her future husband, my grandpa!
My sassy sister, Leasa (Mercy) Harwell Quillen
is a Breast Cancer survivor. An overcomer for sure!
Grandmother Vivian Juanita Bowen Donaldson
Grandmother Vivian Juanita Bowen Donaldson
She appears so delicate, she was tender and sweet.
But she like the women of her time,
had quiet gumption.
She taught me to love
flowers, poetry, music, plays, Bible stories,
and to dance "The Charleston."
She was a published poet.
She had 5 children. Her first baby boy died.
She and Grandpa raised 2 boys.
One a Marine and one a decorated Viet Nam Vet.
She prayed them both home.
And 2 gorgeous girls,
My Aunt Benny Ruth, and my Mother, Carolyn.
"Aunt Benny Ruth Donaldson McGill"
My Mother
"Glenda Carolyn Donaldson Harwell"
Glenda Carolyn and Benny Ruth Donaldson
My Daughter, # 2
She embodies "getting up!"
She embodies "getting up!"
"Kendra Bailey Collins"
My Daughter # 3, Jessica Bailey Sanderson,
she also embodies "getting up!"
In this family women are over-comers.
We truly love and respect each other!
Everyday!
We are Family!
Shielding each other from arrows and swords.
Cheering for one another in this battle!
Don't mess with us!
My niece "Bethany Harwell" is a busy
mother of three, and Pastor's wife.
Who else but a girl, can get back up,
after being stepped on,
after being stepped on,
to bless everyone she meets?
Who else but a girl, can open the refrigerator,
and make a scrumptious meal
out of almost nothing?
out of almost nothing?
She places a tulip in a jelly jar
for just the right touch.
She has an eye for quality from across the room.
We recycle or reconfigure into something beautiful.
We, all of us, have been knocked down.
We get up!
It makes us wiser and creative.
We, all of us, have been knocked down.
We get up!
It makes us wiser and creative.
"I recall a box of rags that someone gave us,
and how my mama put those rags to work!"
Dolly Parton
Dart, Kendra, and Dusty picking Grandmas flowers.
When I was 11,
my parents purchased a brand new house
and our first Zenith Color T.V.
and our first Zenith Color T.V.
Everything was great!
My mothers dreams were coming true,
for a time.
"To everything there is a season."
Circumstances happen for a reason.
"To everything there is a season."
Circumstances happen for a reason.
A phone call changed everything.
My strongest daddy in the whole wide world, had slipped on a concrete floor while lugging more than 200 pounds of beef on his shoulders.
He broke his back.
First time in his life he could not function.
First time in his life he could not function.
The years brought financial hardship.
We had to sell our new home,
and move to a less desirable part of town.
A fixer upper,
with no extra cash to fixer up.
Mama never complained.
She seemed to relish the challenge.
Mama never complained.
She seemed to relish the challenge.
Daddy recovered completely,
and we were able to keep our Zenith
color television.
Day after day I watched my resourceful mama, plant and trade seeds for a garden, paint the walls, salvage remnants and sew broadcloth curtains. All the housewives on our street shared with each other. They wasted nothing. They pitched in to babysit, clean up and send a meal when needed.
At least the 3 wisemen brought great gifts!
Well needless to say,
the little house on Adena Street
looked amazing in less than a year.
She shimmered like a shiny new dime.
Like polished chrome on our
Studebakker pickup pipes.
Mama spent a week
Well needless to say,
the little house on Adena Street
looked amazing in less than a year.
She shimmered like a shiny new dime.
Like polished chrome on our
Studebakker pickup pipes.
Mama spent a week
antiquing our kitchen cabinets in an
early American green.
When she finished,
our little kitchen looked beautiful!
early American green.
When she finished,
our little kitchen looked beautiful!
Antique Green is back!
Everything that goes around,
comes around.
This kitchen was the most lived-in room.
Everything that goes around,
comes around.
This kitchen was the most lived-in room.
Mama cooked and baked every meal.
Each meal consumed and served
at the almost sacred "Kitchen Table."
Each meal consumed and served
at the almost sacred "Kitchen Table."
The Kitchen table served as the home office for homework, writing letters and songs, making lists, and balancing the budget.
The place also for pinning patterns,
The place also for pinning patterns,
and cutting them out.
Where she sewed all our cloths and tailored beautiful dresses for Leasa and I.
It became our game table for scrabble,
Where she sewed all our cloths and tailored beautiful dresses for Leasa and I.
It became our game table for scrabble,
checkers, and monopoly.
An art table for color books,
drawing and watercolors.
We made sure we did NOT get the newly finished cabinets dirty!
Mama made Daddy wash up outside.
To say he was into cars,
An art table for color books,
drawing and watercolors.
We made sure we did NOT get the newly finished cabinets dirty!
Mama made Daddy wash up outside.
To say he was into cars,
pickups, is an understatement!
He worked on engines all the time!
He is a walking auto encyclopedia.
Daddy built a distillery in our backyard.
In California!
It was his new hobby.
A moonshine still!
This happened in the B.C. years.
(Before Christ.)
Before our family read the Bible.
Before our family went to Church.
Before our family prayed.
Before we believed.
Before Jesus came to our house!
Soon after the kitchen cabinets were finished,
Daddy stored the bottles of White Lightening, Moonshine, Home Brew, (whatever,) in the top of the newly refinished Kitchen cabinets.
It was the summer of 1967.
In Bakersfield, California.
It was HOT!
The Vietnam War was at its worst.
The swamp cooler was on.
The windows were open.
It was dark in middle of the night!
We were all sound asleep.
Even our sweet dog.
(Who also had puppies!)
A bit after 3:00 o'clock in the morning,
A moonshine still!
This happened in the B.C. years.
(Before Christ.)
Before our family read the Bible.
Before our family went to Church.
Before our family prayed.
Before we believed.
Before Jesus came to our house!
Soon after the kitchen cabinets were finished,
Daddy stored the bottles of White Lightening, Moonshine, Home Brew, (whatever,) in the top of the newly refinished Kitchen cabinets.
It was the summer of 1967.
In Bakersfield, California.
It was HOT!
The Vietnam War was at its worst.
The swamp cooler was on.
The windows were open.
It was dark in middle of the night!
We were all sound asleep.
Even our sweet dog.
(Who also had puppies!)
A bit after 3:00 o'clock in the morning,
we were startled out of dreamy slumber
by a whistling extremely loud BOOM!
A bomb blast for sure. Brun Hilda was barking, we children were screaming,
as we jumped out of bed.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD?"
Was it a bomb?
as we jumped out of bed.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD?"
Was it a bomb?
YES!
It was a Bomb.
A Moonshine Bomb!!!
All the bottles on the top shelves
in the newly refurbished
Early American kitchen,
Exploded!
Glass everywhere.
It was a Bomb.
A Moonshine Bomb!!!
All the bottles on the top shelves
in the newly refurbished
Early American kitchen,
Exploded!
Glass everywhere.
Sticky ooze covered everything
including the ceiling!
Do I dare say?
It is a funny family story now.
Even the most patient wife and mother,
loses her temper sometimes!
We were the talk of the neighborhood.
In a good way.
I hope!
My mother was such a sweet lady,
most folks could never imagine
how strong she was.
Everybody knew,
How good she was.
How creative she was.
How humble she was
How loving she was.
How truly fine she was.
How funny she was.
How truly beautiful she was.
Do I dare say?
It is a funny family story now.
Even the most patient wife and mother,
loses her temper sometimes!
We were the talk of the neighborhood.
In a good way.
I hope!
My mother was such a sweet lady,
most folks could never imagine
how strong she was.
Everybody knew,
How good she was.
How creative she was.
How humble she was
How loving she was.
How truly fine she was.
How funny she was.
How truly beautiful she was.
To not have everything at your fingertips,
sets the imagination on fire.
That spark of creativity!
Money can't do that!
This I learned from the women I come from!
