If you never knew my Grandmother "Nannie" then you missed knowing an exceptional woman. From the time I can remember my Nannie was always dressed, makeup done, hair and nails done. In the last few years when her health declined some she wasn't able to get up and get ready the way she used to but on several occasions I dropped by and her hair would be in rollers. I remember the last Saturday I spent with her at her house I wanted to take a pic with her but she refused because of curlers in her hair. Part of me wishes I would have just taken the pic but I knew she would get me. :) Even the day she died she was concerned with how her nails and toes looked. I can imagine her thinking "if today I am going to meet Jesus I want to have my nails and toes filed and looking good".
I also remember my Nannie being very independent and a little stubborn. Sometimes Allen says he knows where I get my stubbornness from. I think she passed that trait to several in our family. She was also a bit feisty and up until the last few years you could bet there was a pistol in her purse everywhere she went. I used to talk about that to several people and laugh thinking about my grandmother walking around the mall, getting her hair done or going to the doctor packing. I don't know of a time that she ever had to actually use it but I don't doubt that if faced with a time she would definitely have known what to do.
I always admired my grandmother for many reasons but mostly for her faith in God. I can remember from the time I was a little girl through my adult life several times I went to my Nannie worried or upset about something. She would always remind me of who was in control and taking care of things. I am sure in her own private time she may have had times where she might have worried but I don't recall ever seeing a time that she expressed it or let her faith be waivered. She knew where the source of her help came from.
In the last week since her passing I have reminded myself of several memories I shared with her. When I was younger my mom, brother and myself lived with my grandparents on a few occasions. I remember laying in her bed at night watching baseball and coloring. We laughed about silly things and I felt like I could talk to her about anything. I remember when my grandfather was sick and at home on hospice care she dedicated her time and strength to helping take care of him. They had a love for each other that I admired so much.
Unfortunately as years passed and I got married and had kids of my own I wasn't able to visit my grandmother as much. Most know that working full time and balancing kids and after school activities doesn't leave a lot of free time. But in the last several months I was able to spend some Saturdays with her watching TV and she would talk about my kids and how she couldn't believe how much they had grown.
My uncle had given her a book about 16 years ago for her to fill out about her life. It was several pages with different questions for her to answer. She answered each one of them and on the day she passed away we read through them and I realized my grandmother may have had a lot of hard times in her life but she didn't let it define who she was. She pressed on knowing that God was taking care of her. One of her requests in the book was that her children and grandchildren learn to depend on God for everything for that is our only hope for success or survival. I plan to remind myself of that daily.
I'm so blessed to have had 35 years with such a precious and special lady. She touched so many lives and made a huge impact on my own. I hope to be able to carry on her legacy and remember things she taught me growing up. I love her so much and even though it has only been a week I miss her so much. But I am reminded that one day I will see her again.
