I was very
close to Gran and spent several weeks at a time with her over summer vacations
when I was growing up. Back then, she
was known as Gran Pete, since she lived in St. Petersburg.
A fond
memory that I have of Gran is when I was about 8 years old or so, we bought ice
cream cones somewhere and once we left the store, my scoop fell off the cone
and onto the sidewalk. I was so
distraught, but without a second thought, Gran leaned down, picked it up, ate
the dirty part, and put it right back on my cone, good as new!
Another
strong memory that I have of her is when my mother, Gran, and I were in the
ocean together and I was afraid of the waves.
They wanted me to swim from one person to the other, but I was scared. Gran said, “Jennifer, just remember 'What
time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee' Psalm 56:3”.
Whenever I
was worried about something or needed to make a decision, Gran said that she
would pray about it. She would remind me
that “the prayer of a righteous man availeth much”.
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| Gran and me in the 80s. She made me this dress. |
Gran was a
true Southern Belle whose home was always tidy and spotless, ready for guests
at all times. And when those guests
came, she waited on them hand and foot.
Gran was a
master seamstress who made many of my dresses up until I was in college. The last thing that she made for me was five
years ago. It was a blue cover to put
over the shopping cart before placing my son to sit inside. She had never made anything like that and
said that it was quite a difficult pattern!
Gran was
also a wonderful cook who made the best Southern food from biscuits to squash
casserole to roast. She was always
cutting out recipes, but knew how to make practically everything without one.
Gran was a
great dresser, constantly on the lookout for her next pair of shoes. She always dressed very well with
coordinating accessories. Her purse was
by the door always ready to jump in the car and go out.
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| Gran and me at the Coca-Cola Museum circa 1992. |
I am very
ecological (notice my T-shirt in the picture reads "Save the Planet") and would sometimes get on to Gran for not recycling. She would collect the daily papers throughout
the week and then carry them to the trash can!
She’d also throw away aluminum cans and plastic bottles. I couldn’t stand to watch. When I would say something to her about not
recycling, she would reply that she lived through the Great Depression and had
her own way of reusing things. When I
thought about it, I knew that she was right, for she would save butter
containers and store food in them, reuse gift bags, and wash the aluminum foil
for future use.
Gran was
always great at remembering all of her grandchildren’s and
great-grandchildren’s birthdays and would send us a little money. A couple of years ago, she said that she had
too many to keep it up – 18 to be exact – and that it would send her to the
poor house! She said that she was going to
stop sending cards because it was hard for her to write, but I still got them
in the mail. She even sent money for
David’s last birthday and told me to go out and get him a hamburger with it.
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| Mom, Jennifer, and Gran circa 2005 |
About a
week and a half ago, as I lay down to go to bed, I began to cry, but wasn’t
sure why. My husband asked me what was
wrong and I said that I think that I miss my mom (for she had passed away five
years earlier). I stayed up for a while
crying and talking to God. In hindsight,
I think that it was God telling me that it was almost time for Gran to go home
to Heaven.
I got to
Tampa on Friday and was able to spend an hour and a half at Gran’s side,
stroking her shoulder and telling her how much I love her. I’m going to miss
talking to her on the phone and laughing at her funny, country sayings that
were often politically incorrect.
She was a
special lady, strong in her faith, who left a legacy of a wonderful family who
love and serve God. I miss her already,
but I know that she is happy in Heaven and that I will see her again one
day. I love you, Gran!
