Mary Lou
To anyone outside the family, she was just another senior citizen who watched Wheel of Fortune, still rolled her hair at night and drove a bit too slow. Okay, entirely too slow. But to me and my clan, her name was Grandmom, and Mother, and Mary Lou. She was loved. On one of my birthdays, she baked and wrapped up an entire box of cornbread muffins for my consumption only. She knew what made me tick. That was the way my Grandmom rolled.
Her birthday would’ve been tomorrow, and I simply want to take a moment to honor her memory. Her death made a profound impact on my life. My Parents, my Aunt and Uncle and I were privileged to get to hold her hands and sing her favorite hymns as she took her last breath. And while it wasn’t pleasant watching someone I love die, getting to be there was an inexplicably precious gift.
I miss her at odd moments as well as normal ones; holidays and birthdays and seeing a can of Coke. I am proud of my heritage because of her. She set an example of walking through life with humility while being full of joy and spunk. When asked about her family, her response would inevitably be, “How much time have you got?” She played the role of encourager to her tribe. I think if I dreamed about being a women’s pro basketball player, she would’ve proudly watched me sit on the bench.
What I’ve come to realize, albeit belatedly, is that I am profoundly impacted by far more than just her death. I am impacted by her life.
Thanks, Beth, for sharing an insightful tribute to your grandmother and my mother!
Thanks for reading it!
Thank you for reminding me of her pride in her family. I, too, miss my mother (your grandmother) at odd moments as well as the normal ones. I’m sure she would have watched you even sitting on the bench as a women’s pro basketball player, hoping you would have a chance to show the crowd what you could do!
You’re welcome for the reminder 🙂
Thanks for sharing about your grandmother. I miss her too. She “adopted” me after my mother died and I’ll always remember. She always made me feel loved. She had a wonderful gift for that. I love you too!
I didn’t notice much as a kid so that’s really cool to hear! Thanks for sharing. I love and miss you and your hubby.
In the short time I knew her after joining the family, she always talked about how proud she was of all the grandkids. She sent me bunches of encouraging emails and shared lots of neat things about the family. What a great legacy!
🙂
Upon moving to Inverness when Shane was about to enter the 7th grade we visited 1st Baptist Inverness. Your grandmother and grandfather seeing that we lived in Heatherwood came immediately to see us. We sooo enjoyed their visit and chatting with them. They were always a role model for us.
Sweet!
Beth, honey,
Your loving words about your Grandmom reminded me of the times we were able to visit the Florida family and were guests in her home. What a wonderful hostess she was! Her meals were delicious and served as though we were VIPs. Our overnight visits were always blessed by her ability to make us feel comfortable, and I enjoyed her friendliness and positive attitude about life.
Thanks for sharing Grandma!