Guest Post Series ~ Angela Jones of Joneses Keeper

*“No One Like Her”*

There is no one on the planet like my grandma.

Growing up, Granny lived about 500 miles from me in a small city in

Tennessee, but my parents always made sure that we visited her at least

five times a year.  She would always greet me with a hug and a smile, smelling

like a cross between peppermint and Bounce fabric softener, and ask me

how school was going and how I was doing in my extracurricular activities.

One of my favorite parts about our visits would be when she would make me

breakfast.  Everyone else selected cereal or fruit—something easy to fix,

but Granny would prepare a special breakfast consisting of toast with

grape jam, bacon and scrambled eggs (my parents certainly did not fix me bacon

on the regular growing up).  Plus, she would put orange juice in a limited

edition Smuckers Tom and Jerry (cartoon characters for those who know

about Dora these days) jar saved just for me.  Needless to say, I felt so

special.

She continued making me feel special as I got older.  When I graduated

from graduate school, she gave her physician my graduation invitation and

insisted he put it on the patients’ wall next to her picture.

When I got married, Granny gave me the following invaluable advice:  “Own

your marriage, cherish your marriage, and beyond love, remember to like

and respect each other.”

The last time I was at her home, we slept in the same bed (apparently,

 she was also running a bed and breakfast for my cousins who surprised her

 with their presence that weekend) and talked about everything.  Her life (a

 full one), my grandfather (the love of her life who tamed her), her regrets

 (don’t believe in them) and her children (apparently my mother was a

 spitfire—so that’s where I got it from).

I write all this with a heavy heart because right now, Granny is very sick. And I’m sad because admittedly, I haven’t seen her in over a year and we’vespoken much less than we used to.  She told me she understood being a new mom and all, but to me there’s no excuse.

Her illness makes me realize that life, and all the idiosyncrasies with

it, can be fleeting.  And what’s more, it makes me want to continue to record

her history—my history.

To any of you who have cherished memories of elders and family members, I

urge you to take the time to catalogue their life.  Take pictures, record

videos, document birthdays, weddings, baptisms, family reunions.

Scrapbook old photographs and documents;  Prepare a genealogy tree or memory books

with your children so that they learn about the fabric of their

family—the significance behind those who came before them.  Record all the little

things so you can remember them long after their over.  Because at the end of the day, it really is all about the little things.

 *What ways do you cherish your loved ones?  How do you honor your history

with your elders in your family?  Do you take the time to hold those meaningful to you close to your heart?*

This lovely post was written by Angela Jones of the blog Joneses Keeper.


Learn more about Angela by reading her very interesting bio.

*Note from Bellflower Books:  This post reminds me so much of my own grandmother!  A year ago my large extended family worked together to create a Bellflower Book for her full of favorite memories and letters of love and appreciation.  My Grandma looks through the book daily.  It is something we will be able to share with our children and treasure forever!  I agree so much with Angela, it is extremely important to record and memorialize the amazing people in our lives who have given us our history!