Tree of Life

 

Yesterday was a footrace, one obligation after another until dinner at 9:00. Today was more under my control. I did some overdue housework, including making up the guestroom bed. My maternal grandmother cross-stitched this quilt for Stephen and me when we got married. It got me thinking about my personal cloud of witnesses, and how I appreciate my two grandmothers now that I have reached that season of life.

They could not have been more different. My mother's mother was a sweet lady who found her bliss in the home arts of her day. She turned out an amazing array of quilts, afghans, smocked dresses, decorative pillows, embroidered curtains and any other handwork she could find.  I still have the little apron we made together one summer during my weeklong visit. She sewed for her small farming community, including a couple of wedding gowns and mother-of-the-bride dresses. She could make an amazing Thanksgiving dinner in a kitchen the size of a postage stamp. Her chicken & dumplings were incredible. I sat on a stool and watched numerous times, but mine taste like wall-paper paste (my husband's colorful description).

My father's mother was a force of nature. When her first husband died, she picked up his business having to do with sampling asphalt. It was no field for a woman, but it never occurred to her that she couldn't handle it. She raised her 2 children to adulthood before marrying the dear man I knew as my grandfather. Her flavor of 'badass' could rub people the wrong way, but I got the best of her.  She would do anything to see that I was cared for and she never seemed to tire of my company. I have needed her strength of character during hard times, and I say 'hi' to her every time I walk by a mirror and see her bright white hair on my head. After I get my eyes checked in August, I plan to pick out a pair of outrageous 'Mammy glasses' for my new prescription.

Thank you, God, for my grandmothers. They loved me, each in her own way, without condition, as do You.  I have them to thank for the joy I find in my grandchildren. I carry each in my heart and have a rich store of memories of good times together. I hope I am building that kind of treasury with my own beloved grandchildren. I hope when I am gone from their presence they will look fondly on our bonds and find unexpected gifts from our time together. Let it be that those two special angels will be waiting with open arms on the other side of this earthly pilgrimage.

Amen