...Because women need each other!

Sometimes you come across a book that is so timely and perfect for your place in life. That is this book, “Giddy Up Eunice”. Besides loving the title, this book by Sophie Hudson is chock full of adorable humor and southern sweetness.

The theme is that women need each other. In this world of comparison and competition, and where my success seems to means less for you, or your likability seems to mean less for me…this book cuts through that fakeness and untruth and exposes clearly what scripture has to say about what our relationships are supposed to be.

I loved reading every bit, it was a quick read, mostly because I couldn’t put it down! I strongly recommend it for any woman, or actually… all women.

In my own life, my relationships with older women have been both pivotal and shaped me as a grown woman, wife and mother. As a young mother, I had an army of grandmothers, 2 moms, and a host of incredible church ladies that made sure I was well equipped! I not only respected them but craved their wisdom. The weird realization I had reading the book was that I am now smack dab in the middle. I am not the young mom anymore and neither am I older. My kids are teens and it’s my turn to impart my wisdom to younger women and moms.

Sophie Hudson uses three sets of relationships from the bible to show us the benefit and necessity of multi-generational relationships. Mary (Jesus’ mother) and Elizabeth her cousin and the mother of John the Baptist, Naomi and Ruth, and Lois and Eunice (Timothy’s grandmother and mother) are such friendships that show us why we need each other.

Besides the obvious family ties, the life lessons, experience and direction that come from multi-generational relationships are priceless. 

Sophie says “it’s so important for us to have older women in our lives; they know how to make things grow. 

They know how to grow plants, sure, 

but they also know how to grow in faith, 

how to grow in marriage, how to grow in singleness, 

how to grow in friendship, how to grow in parenting, 

how to grow in a relationship with the Lord. 

And in addition to all that growing, 

they know how to establish roots that are 

deep and well-nourished, 

they know how to prune away what’s no longer necessary, 

and they know what it takes to bear fruit.”

Something else that I know, at least for myself, that comes into play with older women (myself included) is that we know the heartaches of life, we know what it means to be caught in sin and have to surrender to God to get out, we know feelings of regret over decisions and all of that we can impart on younger lives to warn them and help them to choose a better path than we did.

Titus 2:3-5 says “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, 

not malicious gossips 

nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 

so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, 

to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, 

being subject to their own husbands, 

so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

I have noticed that there is this shift from what used to be, with older women teaching and showing the younger women they way, to now we always seem pitted against each other. Older women are feeling outdated and useless, put on the back shelf and younger women are advancing in prominence and crippling insecurity all at once. 

We have to get back to recognizing the richness in multi-generational relationships. We can find common ground and build from there. We aren’t in competition with each other, we need to be walking the road of life side by side.

Sophie, thank you for addressing and bringing into the light this issue and encouraging us to change the tide!

You can find Giddy Up Eunice through B&H Publishers and also on Amazon