Grandmas

Grandmas can be such a wonderful thing. They are not perfect, but some seem pretty darn close! My maternal grandma was this way to me. It is 2 years this month since she went to be with Jesus. I still miss her terribly.

I was the youngest grandchild and grandma was my playmate. The other grand kids all had cousins around their age, except me. I can remember so plainly Grandma in the middle of cooking dinner and taking five minutes to go out and swing with me. YES - she actually swung in her own swing right beside me! She lived in Artesia, NM, a small town. No matter what was going on at the time, if a we heard a fire truck, she grabbed her purse and we ran out the door to go chase the firetruck. Man - that was fun! These excursions were often followed by a trip to the DQ for ice cream.

She knew each grand kid's favorite food and when we came to visit it was a staple in the house for those few days. It made us each feel special, all those little things she did for each one of us.

One time I was with her at New Year's Eve. It was just me and Grandma. At midnight, she came in with "wine" in little sherry glasses. I was about 10 I suppose. I thought I was so big drinking my wine. We were about half way finished with our glasses and Grandma just started chuckling. She said, "I am sorry, I can't keep it in any longer - this is cranberry juice!" We laughed about that one for years.

Even though I have always gone by my middle name, Michele. I am named after Grandma. She was Mary Elizabeth Jackson Dowell. I am Mary Michele, and my youngest is Elizabeth. Grandma was so proud that Lizzie was named after her. She would often write me cards and say that she was proud of her "two" name sakes. She was an amazing woman, I have A LOT to live up to.