Mothers and More: Favorite Characters

Mother’s Day is almost over. Tomorrow there will be no more breakfasts in bed. There will be no cards and gifts. The blatant expressions of love and attention shown on this day will become a distant memory to give us strength through the year as those we love try our patience.

Everything about today seemed to revolve around the women in our lives who have had a hand in making us who we are today. I’m doing an author challenge on Instagram, and even today’s assignment called attention to moms. Today participants were to post a picture about their favorite mom characters. I’d love to say I posted one about the mom in my own book, Faith’s Journey. I couldn’t do that.

Unlike my own relationship with my mom, Katie’s relationship with her mother is tempestuous. It’s been that way since Katie was a little girl, and the continued discord causes a great amount of frustration for Katie when she returns home to care for her injured mom. Sharon McGowan is not my favorite mom character.

No. My favorite mom character from my books isn’t the mom at all. Gigi B, introduced in Grasping Hope, is the grandmother of Katie’s best friend. She has the style of Helen Mirren and the sass of Flo from Mel’s Diner.  She is fun and outgoing, never hesitating to be herself. But she is more than just stylish fluff. She’s a godly woman who loves those around her in word and deed. Her wisdom is the kind that comes from walking with God faithfully through the years, and she doesn’t hesitate to share it with those who need to hear God’s truth.

She may not be the main character in my books, but she is a character that means a lot to me. I don’t write people in my life into my books. The characters are all their own, and they’re products of my imagination. However, Gigi B does have real life inspiration thought it’s not found in my grandmother. (My grandmother is wonderful, but she is not a Gigi B!) My aunt has been that kind of person in my life. She’s always been in my corner, and she’s a ton of fun to spend the day with. She is a loving, giving woman full of life who loves God. She’s always been stylish and outgoing, two things that will never be said about me. And I’ve learned a lot from her.

My aunt may not be Gigi B, but she is the type of person I wanted the character to be. Honestly, she is the type of person I’d like to be in my life too. Not the stylish or extroverted parts (though a little help in the style department couldn’t hurt). Those are great, but they don’t make my aunt who she is inside. And though it sounds cliché, it is what’s inside that counts.

What’s inside is a heart that loves God and loves others. My aunt is a woman who will hurt with you, laugh with you, and pray for you. If she can help, she will. She exemplifies living faith. And she’s not the only one. God has blessed me with a godly mom, grandmothers, and others throughout my life who have shown me what it means to live for God each day. They are the women who encourage me to be the type of woman God would have me to be. And I am thankful today and every day for their example that spurs me on to become more Christ-like each day.