Grandmas

Grandma, isn’t that one of the sweetest words? 

 There are so many wonderful names for Grandma.  Some are called Granny, Grandmother, Mammaw, Nana, and of course, Grandma, among many other wonderful names.

I hope you were blessed to have at least one Grandma in your life. 

I was very fortunate, during my life as a child, I still had two great-grandmothers, both that I thought of as Granny, and both my Grandmas’ one which I called Granny and the other Grandma.

My maternal great grandmother, I saw rarely, she lived a good distance away.  I remember her as this little bitty frail lady that dressed so pretty and was so ladylike.  I thought she was just a precious little soul.

 I can still remember going to Georgia with my Grandma to visit with her one day, she was so pretty in her pink dress, she was just my dainty little Granny.

Then there was my other maternal great grandmother, I called her Granny.  She didn’t live all that far from us, so we got to see her more often. 

The first thing I think of when I think of her was there was always food, and always sweets of some sort.  And how she kept that little tray of candy on her table where she sat; and she always had a little throw over her legs.   

In 1976, to commemorate the bicentennial year of 1776, these new coins came out that she bought and gave every one of us kids, and there was a bunch of us, one of the new bicentennial half dollars.    I hope everybody still has theirs, mine is put up and I will treasure it forever.

Both of my great-grandmothers went on home when I was in my teens.  It’s odd looking back now, I really don’t remember much about that time.  Maybe its because I really didn’t see them that much, or because they were my great grandmothers instead of my grandmothers, but never less they both went home in the seventies.

Then there’s my paternal Grandma, she was called Granny by all.   She had a sense of humor like none other, loved to laugh and one of her favorite quotes, when you were leaving, was “I’ll see you in the funny papers.”

Granny loved to sit outside, she had her green rocking chair sitting on the inside corner of the porch, she would sit out there in the mornings and brush out her beautiful long hair, braid it all and wrap it up on her head.  Always, that was Grannys way of wearing her hair forever.

And my favorite thing to do with Granny was to sit out there and listen to her tell me about the old days.  I got to spend a few days alone with her one weekend, and I’ll never forget it.  We would get up in the morning have oatmeal, then go outside on the porch for her to do her hair and just enjoy the morning.

Then in a bit, we would get a hankering for some sweet tea.  So off we would go to the kitchen.

Do yall remember those big old pickle jars, that’s what Granny made her tea in.  We’d brew up a jar full, make sure it was good and sweet, grab two glasses with ice, the jar of sweet tea and out to the porch, we would go.  Granny would sit in her chair, and I would sit there by her, passing the day in the greatest way, talk and stories of the old days and a jug of sweet tea.   Those were the days.

I also loved Church with Granny.  She had her favorite spot in Church to sit, the back row, corner against the wall.  I would often sit by her and hold the songbook as we sang.  Of course Granny knew her favorites by heart.  What were they?  “Where the roses never fade”  and “I’ll fly away” among others.  We would just sit there together and sing, listen to preaching and enjoy Church together.  I miss those days with her.

Goodness, I miss her!  Granny got sick and went home to be with the Lord during the Christmas season in the early eighties.  To this day I can’t listen to the song “Blue Christmas” without breaking down in tears, because that was one of the songs that were playing during the procession as I was driving.   Granny was a one of a kind joy!

Do I have any still living?  Yes, my maternal Grandmother.    She seems to be called different names by a bunch of us. To some, she is Mammaw, some Granny, and to some of us, she is Grandma.   I spent more time with her growing up than with any of the others. 

I couldn’t wait til Friday afternoons at 4:15.  On a lot of those Friday’s Grandma would get off work at four, and then be coming up the driveway at 4:15 to pick me up.  I was off to Grandmas, sometimes for one night but often for the weekend.

I so enjoyed time with my Grandma.  She taught me more things than anybody else in this world.  I can remember as a little girl, Grandma had an old upright piano.  She would teach me a little here and there, always out of the Church hymnal.  Our favorite was always page 57, what song is that?  Amazing Grace.

When I look back today, I think about Grandpa, bless his heart.  He would be sitting in the living room watching “The Lawrence Welk Show” and then “Hee Haw”.    But, on the other side of that living room wall, where Grandpa always sat stretched out watching his favorite tv shows was the bedroom with the piano on the exact same wall. 

And exactly where Grandma and I were every Saturday night that I got to stay there, banging on that piano and singing “Amazing Grace” at times at the top of our lungs.  I can honestly say that piano playing wasn’t perfect, goodness most of the time, not even good, oh poor Grandpa, rest his soul.

Grandma also spent a lot of time in the kitchen. I remember she had this old cabinet that had a flour bin in it.  I bet a lot of you have no idea what that even is; they are a thing of the past, for sure.   But when I was young, Grandma would give me an old pie plate, and I would get in the flour, mix it up with water, and have a heyday playing.   Those were good times! 

I learned tons of things from Grandma.   I learned about cooking, she has this big old gray cookbook, older than dirt, but we would get in there and pick out a recipe and just go for it.  And one thing Grandma always taught me was to clean as you go.  To this day, I still do.  By the time the meal is ready, everything is all cleaned up, you can sit down at the table enjoy a meal together, then wash those last few dishes, sweep the floor and all is spic and span till the next meal.

Grandma also taught me about sewing.  She loves to sew, make clothes, quilts and all sort of things.  I remember this blue purse she made me when I was a kid, I loved that purse, I don’t know whatever happened to it, but I wish I still had it today.  The ladies in the neighborhood would come to Grandma with cloth and patterns, and those words… “Grace, can you make these for me?”  And of course she could, Grandma loved to sew.  I can remember days when we would just spend the entire day in her sewing room, having a blast.

She also taught me embroidery, knitting, crocheting (which I never quite got the hang of).  I could crochet a chain to stretch across the floor, but row two and turning back was a disastrous joke.  But to this day, I still attempt it from time to time.  But my Grandma, she can sit there and crochet the most beautiful doilies without even looking at it, just talking up a storm.   I have quite a few doilies she has made me through the years, in various places in the house now, and to me they are priceless.

If you have read one of my other blogs titled, “Come on in, sit a spell.”  That blog was based a lot on my Grandma.  They would often have company, and that’s what Grandma would say, “well come on in sit a spell.”  Her and my Grandpa loved to have company, I can remember she would just smile that cute grin she has when company would come up.   They all would just sit and visit and talk on and on; sometimes over Grandmas instant tea, or coffee, but oh how she loved company.

To this day when I get a chance to visit with her, which I am ashamed to say is never ever often enough, she still talks about the company she used to have, and how lonely it gets now because she spends so much time alone. 

My Grandma turns ninety this week; goodness that’s so hard to believe.

Can you just imagine all the different things she has seen in all those years?   I can’t start to imagine, she has gone through the great depression, wars, cars being invented, televisions, telephones, microwaves, computers, and I can’t even start to imagine all the different dress and hairstyles.  You know there’s been a bunch. 

Today when we gathered for her birthday, she said she didn’t know if she would be here to see another birthday or not.  I sure hope she is.   But there is one thing I know for sure beyond the shadow of a doubt. When that day comes, Grandma is going to split Heaven wide open, as the old saying goes.  Not a doubt in my mind.

My Grandma loves the Lord, I mean really loves the Lord. One of her favorite things to do is study the Bible daily.   Grandma and I have always enjoyed our discussions about the Bible and the Lord,  that’s something we both enjoy talking about so much together;  we have since my teen years.   

 And to hear that woman pray, oh my.  When Grandma bows her head and starts to pray its as if the Angels of Heaven themselves have come and filled the room and that we are in the very presence of the Lord,  I love to hear my Grandma pray. 

I’ve heard many many people pray a lot in Church, at functions, at the dinner table, family gatherings, etc.   But let me tell you none of any of their prayers can even start to compare to my Grandma’s prayers.  You can actually feel the very presence of the Lord and that sweet sweet Spirit feel the room.

Well, I’ve talked a lot about my Grandmothers.  I so hope and pray you have been blessed with knowing and loving yours.   I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to know my great Grandmothers and Grandmothers.    It’s truly a joy to have had them all in my life.

And on the flip side, there is nothing in this world like being a Grandma,  in my case “Nana.”   

You think you love and dote on your kids, but when those grandbabies start coming along, oh my stars the love and joy that feels your heart and the joys they bring.  I’m blessed with four grandchildren, three of which just live over the hill.  To me, there’s no greater joy than spending time with them.

My hope and prayers are that I can teach them things that they will cherish as they grow up.   That I can leave them with the same love for the Lord as my Grandma has, as I have and that I can have a wonderful influence on their lives like my Grandmothers have for me.

If you haven’t talked or visited with your Grandparents lately, pick up the phone give them a call, or even just hop in the car and go for a visit, and as Grandma would say, “Come on in, sit a spell!”