In Memory of Grannie

Gan Gan, Juanita, Mom, Grannie
All these names and so much love
For one who was cherished by many
A light in our lives, a gift from above
A gentle lady, loving and wise
Beautiful and humble, a servant to others
A warm embrace, a Grannie so nice
We’d still have her here, if we had our druthers
The world is dimmer without her
Our hearts ache with our loss
But we can remember together
The good times, the joy she gave us:

Playing dress-up and fixing our hair
Taking photos in our self-chosen garb
We may have looked silly, but Grannie didn’t care
And food was aplenty; we never did starve
Neopolitan ice cream was a favorite treat
Beans and cornbread often appeared
And soft drinks when our thirst called for sweet
A love of coffee, to us she steered
Toast for breakfast and Horace McQueen
Nights watching news before heading to bed
We can’t recall Grannie ever being mean

Our spiritual growth she also fed
With prayers, Bible, and Sunday School
Red and Yellow, Black and White
Those cardboard cutouts were such a fun tool
And the felt board quite a lovely sight

In our early days, she shuttled us about town
The Dollar Store, a ripe bounty to explore
“Sixty-Four Games” fell short, let us down
But “Thirty-Two Games” became an object of lore
To the theater for a kids’ matinee
And a lesson in public restroom protocol
“Never sit on a public toilet,” Grannie would say
Let’s not forget our annual trip to the mall
Shopping for Christmas presents and lunch at Chick-fil-A
Entrusted with money, we all had a ball

But we didn’t have to go far to have a nice day
Our outside adventures were free and fun
Long hours of kickball in the big, green lawn
Cousins together, playing in the sun
Freeze tag, also, we’d play sometimes
Or catch some critters in the creek
Jumping off rocks, swinging on grapevines
Our adventures weren’t always mild and meek
Flying downhill in a wagon was fun for the fellas
Wind in their faces, howling with glee
At least we didn’t jump off the house with umbrellas
And seldom suffered more than a skinned knee

“Good night!” was a favorite expression she’d say
And “I’ll Be!” was another phrase she’d use
In matters of beauty, she had a certain way
We should take from her this particular cue…
Cold cream was important in her daily routine
And apparently, the stuff works wonders
Because on her smooth face, not a wrinkle was seen
Why we don’t use it, makes us pause and ponder

Her little stool was like a king’s throne
On which we enjoyed meals in the kitchen
Each child wanted to call it his own
And the keyboard entertained us for hours on end
With fervent zeal, we banged the keys
Loud and unrefined musical attempts
You’d never know if Grannie was displeased
So positive and encouraging were her comments

When college days came, Grannie’s letters arrived
A delight to receive in those long days alone
Lightly scrawled writing, love bursting from inside
Talk of the weather, Bible verses, and news from home

These memories of Grannie we’ll always cherish…
These times of laughter and jubilation
By remembering these moments, we certainly wish
To pass her legacy down to the next generation
Though we’ll miss her so much, we’re glad she’s free
From her pain, from her trials, from her difficult test
In joy everlasting, she’s with Jesus for all of eternity
And we’ll see her again, when it’s our turn to rest.