A Tradition of Healers
Someone asked me the other day if I came from a long line of healers. I took a couple of seconds to answer this, and my answer formed as I was speaking.
My first thought was “not really” … but I hesitated; and spirit revealed a truth that had never occurred to me. My mom and my grandmothers were healers in their own way. The were strong, powerful women who took care of themselves and their families. My grandmothers lived through the Great Depression and were of modest means and yet they thrived where others perished.
The women of my family have not been afraid to be themselves and share their unique brand of wisdom and skills with those around them. My Grandma Conro died when I was in 2nd grade. But I vividly remember being at her house while she was baking and how she shared that skill so easily. Later in life, I learned that she kept the books for my grandfather’s carpentry business … this during a time when men typically handled the family finances. And she always had the most beautiful flowers all around the yard … she’d inherited the green-thumb of her own mother.
My Grandma Niss made the best pies. Wonderful aromas wafted from the kitchen windows of her house on the farm. Lunch time was always a well-deserved treat as everyone had worked hard all morning and needed good food to sustain them through the afternoon. She somehow found time to take care of chickens and milk cows as well and the shelves in the cellar were filled with freshly canned vegetables from the big garden she always had. I remember living right next door for many years and all that I learned by helping with chores and just talking to her. She always had a cookie jar filled with chocolate chip cookies. And you know, everything is better when you talk about it over a glass of milk and cookies.
My mom was her own brand of special. No matter what was going on for her, she had time for people. She loved to learn and could talk to almost anyone about almost anything. She didn’t inherit her mom’s pie-making skills, but she had so many of her own. She loved music and taught us kids and grandkids the basics. I remember girls from neighboring farms coming for sewing lessons when I was younger. As I got older, mom took up quilting and taught her granddaughters (she would have taught the boys, but there were busy with other things). Mom discovered essential oils in the early 1980s … and shared that information and wisdom with everyone around her. And she didn’t GIVE advice, she was there to listen and let you talk it out and figure it out for yourself. So many problems were solved over a cup of coffee or tea … for our family and for many others as well.
Do I come from a long line of healers? You bet I do. They were wise women who shared their skills and knowledge with those around them. They were women of integrity and honor who were trusted with people’s secrets and dreams … and they encouraged them and kept their confidence. We need more women like this in our world today.
Their simple ways healed the hearts and lives of everyone they touched, and I am proud to be part of their tradition. What tradition have you inherited? What can you share with the world around you?
