Happy Birthday, Grandma Pinkie!

I don't mean to make everyone sad (I promise this isn't how the post will end) but I couldn't type "Happy Birthday, Grandma Pinkie" without tears streaming down my face.  That said, today would have been my paternal grandmother's 96th birthday.  Spry, brilliant and quick-witted until she made her transition nearly two years ago, I can't help but honor her legacy today.

As y'all have likely figured out, I come from a lineage of strong women. Good stock. You've "met" Mama TBS...she rolls tough and warrior-like.  Her mother, Grandma Sarah, was the same.  My aunts..Peggy (Daddy TBS' older sister), Angie & Karen (Mama TBS' younger sisters), Mattie Ruth (the wonderful quilter) and Annie (who we affectionately call "Nonnie"...she's the sister of Grandma Sarah); each one of them is a goddess!  Mr TBS often teases about our character and our will AND, since most of us are over 5'9", he rarely misses an opportunity to tease about our being Amazon women (nothing wrong with that, in my opinion!).

Grandma Pinkie (and, yes, that was her real name) was some kind of special.  She was God-fearing and never met a stranger.  She preached the importance of treating everyone the same and how we wanted to be treated.  People are often amazed that I do not see color and mean it to my core.  While I'm not naive, I truly believe that we are all equal because that's what my parents and grandparents taught us.  Grandma Pinkie was likely the champion of the notion.

Though she was a domestic for several years, she also had a penchant for "peddling".  In my small hometown of Covington, GA, she was known as "The Flavor Lady".  She sold extracts  for cooking such as vanilla and lemon extracts.  Boy, folks loved to see her coming and she loved to talk.

I think of her so much today because I am sure that I inherited my entrepreneurial spirit from her.  She always encouraged us to do our best in school and beyond.  Whenever we'd update her with the highlights from our lives, she was always so proud.  I miss and think of her all the time.

As I've made this transition as the Chief Lifestyle Officer and have become a solopreneur, I owe it to her and the other women in my immediate family who have encouraged and supported me.

Since I'll be self-publishing Instantly!: How Quickly I Realized I Hate My Job, I'd like to share that I've created an imprint where, hopefully, I can help women tell their stories to the world.  I want to do what my Grandma Pinkie would have done if she'd had access to all of the resources that rest at my fingertips.

It is in her honor that I've created "Miss Pinkie's Press, LLC", a subsidiary of The Broke Socialite Media. It's another thing I'm just really excited about and gives me chills.  She'd want me to do it. I feel her nudging me along.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Pinkie!

Have a great weekend, y'all!