A Birthday Tribute to my Nanny

I wrote my thoughts down about my grandmother last year. For her birthday, today, I'd like to post it. She is an amazing lady. Happy Birthday, Nanny.

My Nanny is a sweet dear lady.

I remember our many trips to the beach at the camp ground. It was so much fun. I remember swimming in the pool, riding our bikes around, going to the little trading post for candy or ice cream, playing putt- putt, going to amusement park and water slide. I remember one or two times that she got in the pool with us. She could not swim so she didn’t like to get in.

I remember watching her make a wedding cake for my cousin- thinking she could do anything. She made me a Twetty Bird Cake for my kindergarten class. I was so proud to tell everyone that my Nanny made it. I used to look through her cake books for hours – picking out what I wanted for my next cake. Hoping one day that I would be able to make a cake like Nanny. Now I have her cake books. What a nice memory every time I open them.

She made most of my dresses. At the time, I didn’t like trying on half made dresses while she pined the sleeves on or the hem. I was so afraid of getting stuck. (I did get stuck a few times). I remember (when I was little) when she made a dress for me, she would tell me how she made it. At the time I really didn’t care about that stuff. I did listen and I unknowingly learned how to sew. For when it was time for me to sew, I knew so many things - things that she taught me over a life time.

Things that I thought were easy and took for granted – my friends had no clue of the “easy” things about sewing and I thought it was common sense. It was just everyday lessons from my Nanny.

When I got older, she made a pageant dress and a prom dress. Oh how I loved those dresses. It didn’t matter how hard the pattern was, she could make it. We even made a Scarlett O’Hara green drapery dress for old fashion Sunday. The pattern was hand drawn and hard to read, but together, we figured it out.

I remember working with her and my Poppop at their church fair booth. Oh how I loved going there. I was so young- 5 years old to about 3^rd grade. I thought I was so big waiting on tables. She made so many cakes and biscuits every day for those 2 weeks. Everyone loved them. The people that worked the fair every year knew about her cakes and biscuits. They would wait for the church booth door to open at 6am just to have Mrs. Eva’s angel biscuits. She won so many awards for her cakes.

I loved watching her make biscuits. She had an old wooden mixing bowl and a flour sifter. She would kneed in the buttermilk so effortlessly. When it was time for me to make biscuits, it would turn out almost like hers (because I had watched her and used her recipe), but I always made such a mess of things.

I now love to sew, decorate cakes, bake and cook. Little life lessons from my Nanny.

I always thought it was cool that my Nanny and Poppop bowled. Even when Nanny got up in age, she still bowled. I think she bowled until she was 83 or 84 years of age. She is one spunky lady.

I would tell her my joys, my sorrows, my fears- the little things in life that really didn’t matter to anyone else. The little things that made me happy, that made me upset. Some things that I didn’t tell anyone else- mainly because they just wouldn’t care. My Nanny cared. She kept them between us. I knew that she would never tell anyone.

I knew my Nanny was a strong lady. She grew up on a tobacco farm in North Carolina. She moved away from her family to Norfolk, Virginia during World War II. Her parents didn’t want her to, but she knew that was what she had to do. That is where she met my Poppop.

Not until my Poppop died in Jan., 2001 did I realize just how strong she was. She was a rock. I had always admired her and loved her, but that day, I realized what she was made of. She handled it with grace and such strength.

My heart was so burdened for her salvation. She was a very “good” lady, but from her words, I did not believe she was saved. I prayed for her and talked to her a number of times about being saved. My mom informed me a few months ago that she was able to lead her to the Lord when she was 82 years old. This is not good English, but Ain’t God Good!! He never gave up on her. He allowed her to live 82 years so she could get saved.

It breaks my heart to see her in the nursing home. I used to call her everyday for 12 years. Now (since she doesn’t have a phone) I can’t call her and can only see her one or two times a week. I would love to see her everyday.

I am so blessed that my 3 precious children had a chance to spend time with her and get to know her before she got sick. I pray that they will remember the happy and spunky lady she was. Because of the time we spent with her before she got sick, my kids love to go see her now. I know it’s hard for them to be still for so long, but every time we go, they are excited to see her. If we can’t go because of someone being sick, they are sad that they can’t see her.

Thank you Lord for giving me such a wonderful lady in my life.