Mother’s Day was a few weeks ago. I wish I had thought to write this prior to that Sunday. I can only trust that God’s timing is always right, even when it comes to what and when we write our blog posts. Many of you know my sister has battled breast cancer since 2015. It has now metastasized to her brain and I just wanted to ask for your prayers for this amazing woman. As you read this, you will know why I love her so very much, and what a blessing she is to all who know and love her.
Our mother was an amazing woman with so many talents and gifts. She left us far too soon, age seventy-three. But I have another woman in my life, a second mother if you will. I call her Sissy.
My big sister Bobbie has been like a second mother to me all of my life. Our mother worked outside our home, but Sissy was always there with me. She kept me out of trouble and made sure I knew I was loved.
A Real Stinker – ME
Sissy and I, About 1960, Andalusia, Alabama
I don’t remember a great deal about those years other than what a real stinker I was. Bless her heart, I don’t know why she didn’t haul off and knock some sense into me when I mercilessly aggravated her. I’d hide behind the sofa when her boyfriends would come calling. That’s all I’m going to say about that, but if you ask my brother-in-law, he will tell you what a precocious child I was.
But all little girls grow up, and eventually, even the little devil-child did, too. When I became a teenager and began asking questions about spiritual things, it was Sissy I called upon for answers.
She seemed wise beyond her years, even though she was just twenty-five when I turned eighteen. She had two little ones of her own by that time, but she always had time for me. Always.
College Years
When I went away to college, I didn’t always use my best judgment. It was Sissy who counseled me and who prayed for and with me. When I had papers to write for my religion classes, I always sought her input. I couldn’t have gotten through those classes without her deep faith and understanding of God’s Word.
When I met the love of my life and became engaged to him just one week later, it was Sissy to whom I first broke the news. Of course, she told me it was way too soon, but I think that today, after our forty-plus years of marriage, she will admit that she got that one wrong.
One Scared Mama
After the birth of our first son, I was scared to death. I do mean that. I had no clue how to care for a newborn. She flew all the way from Ft. Myers, Florida, to Birmingham, Alabama, just to help for a few days. When Kenneth had to have his little feet poked day after day to make sure his bilirubin count was low enough, it was Sissy who held him while I stood in the hallway weeping for my precious baby and his poor little feet.
She and I laugh now at the last question I flung at her as she exited our home to return to her family. “What if I kill him?” I’m happy to report that Ken is still alive and thriving and busy with his own family.
Packing Up and Moving South
When our Daddy lost his job in Dothan, Alabama, and my husband was feeling called to a new career, it was Sissy I called and asked what to do. She talked to her husband who called us the next day to say that he had found jobs for both Jim and Daddy. All we had to do was move to Florida.
Acting on faith, we packed up three little boys and all of our belongings. We left a church we loved and friends we treasured. It was all part of God’s plan, for five years later, at the age of forty, I became pregnant with our fourth child, Daniel. It wasn’t an easy pregnancy. I was confined to bed early on and could only get up for a quick shower or necessities.
Jim had just taken a new job in Tampa, the boys and I were still in Ft. Myers. Sissy took me to all of my doctor’s appointments and helped to care for our boys when I couldn’t.
Since I first felt the call to write, besides my husband Jim and our four sons, my biggest cheerleader has been my sister. She has been beside me through this writing journey, cheering me on, even when she was battling breast cancer. She brainstorms with me and is my alpha reader. I couldn’t have done any of this without her.
I’m thankful for my sister, my other mother, for all of the things I’ve said here. But most of all, I’m thankful for her love and guidance, for her prayers for me and for my children.
Yes, On days when I’ve felt like giving up on many things, she’s been there, a fierce prayer warrior, standing in the gap, praying for me and my family when I had no more prayers to give. I’m more thankful for her than these words convey.
Blessed
When I was cleaning up my office and some files, I ran across this poem I wrote for her on the occasion of her seventieth birthday. I hope you will indulge my sharing it with you. It tells who she is, not only to me but to our entire family. We are so blessed to call her family. I am blessed to call her Sissy.
Matriarch By Debra DuPree Williams
Strong
Courageous
Wise beyond her years
Blessed with the wisdom earned from a lifetime of listening to Him
Listening to that still small voice speaking volumes about who she was to be
What her one true calling on this earth should be
Always willing to follow Him Who knows her best
She is the fabric that holds the family together
The force that binds them as one
The keeper of the memories
The one who knows all the stories
She is the link to their past, knowing the names of all who came before them
She is the one who holds their hearts in her hands
Those same hands clasped together so many times in prayer
Prayers for her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren
Prayers for their health, their safety, their happiness
Those hands that toil in the garden
That make garments from mere pieces of cloth
That prepare nourishing meals year after year
The hands that brush away tears
The hands that clap with joy over the smallest of accomplishments
She is the one who leads them to grace
She is daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother
The one who dares them to dream the impossible
She is their past, their present, their future
She has all their hopes and all their fears and all their dreams
Tucked safely away, within the shelter of her heart
She stands before them, knowing she has done her best
She has passed love, faith, pride, wisdom, courage, and strength to each of them
She stands before them,
Matriarch
Written for Bobbie Ann Dupree Foshee
PostScript: It is with a broken heart that I write these words. Last night, June 12, 2021, my precious brother Julian, Bobbie’s husband, stepped into the arms of Jesus. Will you please keep my sister and her family in your prayers? He was such a good man and he leaves a legacy of Jesus-Followers. What better thing can a man leave his children, and their children, and their children than the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Savior. Well done, Bub. We love you. We’ll see you soon.
Today, Sis has eight great-grandchildren in addition to her eight grandchildren. She and my brother-in-love, Julian, have been blessed beyond measure.
This is a hymn Sissy and I sang together when we were just young girls. How fitting that Larry Ford is featured here. His mother-in-love, whom our family calls, Mama Lessie, laid hands on Sis many times and prayed over her during her cancer journey. Mama Lessie is in Heaven now, but we’ll see her again, one day.
Joni, thank you, my sweet friend. Sis is a sweetheart. I got to tell her this past week, face to face, all the things in my heart.
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Hi, I’m Debra
Jesus Follower, wife, BoyMom, DD, author, blogger, musician, southern cook, amateur genealogist, amateur artist, living life with an accent on Southern.
The Conversation
Such a precious, loving tribute to your sister. I’m adding her to my prayer list.
Sally Jo, thank you. I have been blessed, for sure. We all appreciate your prayers so much.
So wonderful that you had such a sweet and loving sister! Praying for her and her family!
Joy, thank you so much. She’s a sweetheart. Thank you for your prayers.
Wonderful, heartfelt post. Thank you so much for sharing your heart and life.
Joni, thank you, my sweet friend. Sis is a sweetheart. I got to tell her this past week, face to face, all the things in my heart.