There was a person in my life I loved dearly, she was like a second mother to me. I loved to talk to her, hear her stories, be near her, and always get her advice. She was a strong, wise woman, the matriarch of our family. This amazing woman was my mother’s mother, my grandmother, her name was Geraldine (Gerrie).

Some of the things I cherish about her are; 

Sunday family dinners on the patio,

delicious food, baked goods and canned everything,

how frank she was when you needed advice or an opinion,

how she would get up at the crack of dawn and open every window in the house to cool it off,

eating meals on her breadboard,

you could find baby chickens in the house or chicken eggs incubating in the oven,

there was always Diet Pepsi in the refrigerator (hence my previous addiction),

she had a Polling Place in her garage during voting season,

her ambitious garden and her well-stocked pantry/garage,

and especially her deep love for her husband.

I could go on and on!!

Growing up I cannot remember a day I did not talk to her, even while in high school and college.  When I was first married I loved talking to her and sharing my day and hearing about hers. Getting the family update was a daily ritual. She kept me informed on family news and always wanted to know what I was doing. Unfortunately that starting slipping away once I was married. Sadly I listened to someone else and “cut the apron strings.”

At that time in my life I did not listen to my voice. I cut out calls to my grandmother and we grew apart. My conversations and contact grew further and further apart. It breaks my heart til this day that I lost that time with her. It was a very hard  thing to do, I was tied to my grandmother immensely because she was that strong  independent woman in my life that I craved and so wanted to become.

I remember one time I was visiting her after I had been married a few years, and we were discussing the past and the many happenings in my life.  Like what I had been through and dealt with because of my parent’s divorce, and how at that time my marriage was struggling.

She told me as we stood in her breezeway that I should write a book and share all the things I have been through. I laughed and said that would never happen! Who would want to hear all about me and my life.

That vivid conversation happened so many years ago, but I can still see her standing there on the back-porch step, in her seersucker floral shift and pink slippers.  I can hear her clearly in my mind as if it was yesterday. For some reason, I never have forgotten that conversation.

This blog is like a book, an updated computer age telling of my life. For that reason, I would like to dedicate this blog to my grandmother Geraldine Virginia. She was (still is) my example of a godly wife and mother. She set the bar high and expected the best from all of us. She taught me to work hard, not to give up, and do what it takes to persevere.

My grandmother passed away a few years ago. I had the privilege to be there in the end and to tell her how much she meant to me. I know I did not tell her enough while she was with us, especially as an adult. I cannot gain back with my time with her, but I can make her proud and be an example to my children and grandchildren and take heed in her wise words.