Mama Ina Mae and Grandma Marge were my first real examples of class. Both of them knew what it meant to be in the "have nots". Both knew what it meant to have very little money, but they were rich in class. They were ladies.
Sue Watson Eastburn and Spring Watson Mau came to Mama's visitation. They both shared their memories of Mama looking elegant and regal on the organ bench at the little Congregational Church in Clifton. It is easy for me to close my eyes and recall exactly the memory they shared. Dressed in her best dresses and hair done up, she created quite a picture. Thank you Sue and Spring for the memory shared.
Mama always said we needed to stand up straight with our shoulders back. Good posture makes a good impression. You don't have to have the latest fashions or the newest trends. Go with the classics and you will be fine. It is probably why I have more than one simple black dress in my closet.
Grandma Marge was gracious and graceful. I remember her elegance. Life handed her some challenges, but she taught her daughters, Marjorie and Jan, that character, persistence and hard work would carry them through the curveballs in life.
We were so blessed the day she and Grandpa Harry said, "I do." We gained Aunts, Uncles and five cousins close to our age. Grandma Marge taught us all about pretty tables and using the right forks. She loved cut glass serving pieces on a dinner table. As an adult, I now understand it looked beautiful, but if a child broke something, it was not the end of the world. She was a class act.
I stumbled on this reprint of an old Ann Lander's post. It was worth sharing.
CLASS: By Ann Landers
Class never runs scared. It is sure-footed and confident. It can handle anything that comes along. Class has a sense of humor. It knows a good laugh is the best lubricant for oiling the machinery of human relations.
Class never makes excuses. It takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes.
Class knows that good manners are nothing more than a series of small, inconsequential sacrifices.
Class bespeaks an aristocracy that has nothing to do with ancestors or money.
Some wealthy “blue bloods” have no class, while individuals who are struggling to make ends meet are loaded with it.
Class is real. It can’t be faked.
Class never tried to build itself by tearing others down.
Class is already up and need not strive to look better by making others look worse.
Class can “walk with kings and keep its virtue and talk with crowds and keep the common touch.” Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class because that person is comfortable with himself.
If you have class, you’ve got it made.
If you don’t have class, no matter what else you have, it doesn’t make any difference.
Worth the read, right? I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
When I think about classy ladies in the Bible, I think about Jesus's mother, Mary. She had the ability to walk with confidence when everyone was talking about her, Joseph and her pregnancy. She didn't always have to say what she was thinking. She had the ability to sit quietly... patiently observing life unfolding in front of her.
But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. -Luke 2:19
She pondered them in her heart! We can learn from her example. I am sure Jesus often watched his mother and smiled.
Today, I am grateful for class acts.
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