Reflections

A year ago today my wonderful husbands Grandmother died. She was an amazing woman. The kind of person that I wish I had known better. The kind of person I wish I could have in my life right now. Here are some of the things that I think about when I think of Memaw!!!

• She fell and broke her hip. She had to have been in her 70's but instead of hitting the call button around her neck she crawled in the house and took her curlers out of her hair and put on clean socks. She refused to be seen in public looking like that. Talk about the amazing strength it had to have taken to deal with the pain while she got herself ready.
• She sent me on my first liquer store run lol! I was very quiet when I was younger. (I swear it was Memaw that brought me out!) Anyway, I had never been to the liquer store before - never even had any liquer. I wasn't 21 and didn't look it but she swore to me that if I just told them it was for her they would give it to me. So off I go taking along my now SIL with me - who is 3 yrs younger. Sure enough we walk in and tell them who it was for and they gave it to us no questions asked. Now I know what you are thinking and no she was not drinking it well not all of it. ;) We were making bourban balls for Christmas. Some of the best times I had were around the little table in her den making Christmas Candy with her and Casey.
• As she got older it was harder for her to get around. So we would go visit as much as we could and it was just down the street so we would visit often. One time we were over, everyone else had something to do so I was sitting there talking with her. I asked her about her late husband. This is a man that had been gone at the time for about 15 years. I wanted to know how they met and stuff. So I asked and all I got was a tearful Wayne was a wonderful man. Well I didn't know what to say because remember, I am a quiet non-obtrusive type (at the time), so I say very softly - You still miss him a lot don't you and all she could do was nod. I got up and gave her a hug and gave her some privacy. I really think that day was the first day that I understood undying love. I really wish I could have met the man that could make the fiesty Memaw love so much!
• She told my now DH that I wouldn't make a very good wife lol. She said that I couldn't cook and he wasn't going to like that. I loved the challenge of proving her wrong. I did too. We stayed with her one weekend after we were married and she LOVED everything I cooked for her. I had been told she probably wouldn't eat much but boy they were wrong. She told DH that I was a wonderful wife and would make a wonderful Mother too!!!
• The last time we went to see her it was to introduce her to my daughter. That was an extremely difficult trip for numerous reasons. We had an infant in a carseat for about 8 hours. But the worst part was seeing this vivacious, spunky and charged woman living in a shell of what she had been. She couldn't do anything for herself, she didn't recognize very many people. She was thrilled to meet Anna though. I think a part of her realized exactly who she was. That trip we said goodbye knowing it would probably be the last time we saw her and it was.

It is hard knowing that she is gone but at least I know that she is up there with her Wayne!!! She is looking down on us and living through us. I just hope that I can give some of who she was to Anna.