Monday Memory

Some of my fondest memories come from spending time at Grandma Thomas's house.

They most always included a cultural event. Perhaps a ballet, an opera, or some sort of play.

Most times we'd have a project to "help" her with.

I remember painting her one-car garage with 4 other cousins dressed in old smocks. The photographs snapped portraying grey paint-stained, smiling children with small brushes not really getting the job done at all.

We'd dig up carrots & potatoes from her amazing garden, snip a prize-winning, velvety rose for the table or pick juicy cherries from her giant trees.

She involved us with all sorts of things. From canning peaches, baking ebelskivers, or sorting through sea shells from her recent trip to her beloved Hawaii.

We'd run through the sprinklers on a hot summer day, make hot cocoa from scratch on a winter's one. In spring we built a clubhouse out of a cardboard refridgerator box, complete with gingham curtains, and in the fall watch as she crocheted & knitted afghan after afghan.

She was a retired school teacher & a master seamstress who loved God, family and all sports.

She was widowed for more than 40 years, raised 3 terrific children (one being my dad!) before she died at the age of 80.

The above photo is of an envelope that contains 14 red sequins. It was included in a box of crafting supplies she gave me.

This precious token has sat on my shelf above my nightstand, reminding me of perhaps her finest quality. That of self-sufficiency & frugality.

This represents how she lived her whole life.

Saving, scrimping, making do, doing without. Making a delicious, if not gourmet, meal out of the contents of fridge and pantry. Planning for a trip, saving for a piece of furniture, being grateful for the bounty in her life and becoming stronger because of adversity.

As I get older I respect and love her more and more and find myself yearning for one more sunset with her on the front porch swing.