Three Important Women In My Life

My first thought for the Mono Monday challenge of "Woman" was the Emily Dickinson caricature on one of my coffee cups, because she was a writer and I love to write, but I was afraid that I might have copyright issues with that one, so I started scanning the room for another idea.  When I saw these two pictures of these three important women in my life and at three distinctly different stages of their lives, I knew I had found what I wanted to use for my blip.  The story begins with my mother. Dorothy Marie Cottrell,  who is the adorable baby on the right side.  She always says that she is not photogenic, but I have always thought that she was wrong about that.  Without my mom and dad, I never would have been born or would never have survived being born with hydrocephalus without their faith and prayers that God graciously answered by healing me before I was a year old.  The second important woman in this picture is my 95 year old (at the time the picture was taken) mother-in-law, Rachel E. Staph, who welcomed me into the family with such warmth and grace and taught me so much about the wildflowers of Texas and appreciating classical music.  Without her, there would have been no 6'5" Air Force sergeant for me to fall in love with the first time I danced with him on the day we first met.  Without our marriage, just 13 months later, the third important woman in the picture, my 17,soon-to-be 18 year old daughter, Rachel Marie Staph, would not have been born and I would not have gotten to know so many of the joys and, yes, even the trials of motherhood.  We named her Rachel Marie in honor of her two grandmothers and she has made us all very proud and she has given us the joy of being grandparents to the cutest grandson ever!  Thanks to jensphotos for hosting......