Confessions of a
Granddaughter When I thought of the word matriarch as an educator, out of habit, I wanted to gain a full understanding of the term. The term defined as a woman who led her family and/or a tribe. Historically, a lot of women were considered the matriarch of their families, and many of them lacked formal education, as my grandmother did. Despite her lack in education she bred, reared, trained, led forth and raised up many children and if we children were not careful, we could be taken out by this lady. She was a strong educator in her own rights. If you would allow me to make my point: The tasks of a matriarch! Curious about the word matriarch, the Holy Spirit led me to look up the word education. As I researched the term, it simply amazed me, the similarities of what the two words have in common. Researching the term education, I determined that it derived from the Latin phrase Ēducātiō (“A breeding, a bringing up, a rearing”), ēducō, (“I educate, I train”) which is related to the homonym ēdūcō (“I lead forth, I take out; I raise up”). All the things a matriarch does.
BY CYNTHIA
A leader in her own rights, my grandmother was the matriarch of our family. Like a lot of grandmothers when I was growing up, she stepped in to fill a parenting gap for three of her children. She not only raised four OLIVER of her grandchildren, but she was also the hand that rocked the cradle of many babies, while raising us. These babies were no kin of ours, they belonged to women who were prostitutes. Talking about raising a village, it gives me great honor to pay tribute to my grandmother for teaching me the importance of compassion and a love for “the lease lost and forgotten”. The things I most value however are the lessons learned, the discipline and honesty she instilled in me. When we consider the job of the matriarch, educating young people has always been the key to raising up a whole new generation has always been by instructions and godly training. Proverbs 22:6 comes to mind: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it”. In loving memory of my grandmother, Jimmie Lee Evans, I know it is long overdue, however I take this opportunity designated as women’s month, to let you know I recognize I am partly who I am today because of who my grandmother were in my life. I love you grandmother, and I am so sorry for leaving the way I did, and I confess, it was your love and discipline that kept me coming back to God, until I got it right. Thank you!
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Mother & DAUGHTER Bonding Magazine
