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Aunt Mary

Aunt Mary died this past weekend. She is the third aunt to die in the past year. Mama is the only Graham sister left. This is a sad time for us cousins. We all loved our aunts so much! They were remarkable ladies, even more so given that their mother died when they were still children. But, wasn't it Aunt Mary who said that hard times teach you more than good times?

I have so many memories of Aunt Mary. She was angelic inside out, especially with her pretty blue eyes; and her laugh was so joyful! My most special memory of Aunt Mary ironically involves a funeral: it was when Daddy died, and I don't remember all the circumstances, but Aunt Mary and Uncle Barton couldn't come for the funeral. Maybe someone was sick; that seems to ring a bell. However, they drove to the visitation, all the way from Dancyville. Aunt Mary got out of their car, gave Mama and the rest of us a hug, and then they turned around and drove 3 1/2 hours back to Dancyville.

Isn't that something?

(The picture is from Mama's birthday party last year at Aunt Ora's. Aunt Mary is on the far right, and I do believe that is the only time during the entire weekend that Mama, who is to her left, was alert.)

Goodbye kisses

Today as I was leaving Mama, I blew her a kiss. She was looking at me, but I didn't expect her to blow one back (unlike when I was a child and she blew kisses to us children like crazy). I kept blowing, though, just for old times sake.

It caught on! A lady who was sitting next to Mama blew me a kiss! And then some other residents joined, and the next thing I know, there's a bunch of us blowing kisses to each other! Even, the men were getting in on the act.

It was uplifting! And I just know Mama was blowing kisses in her mind.

She has my mother's smile!

We saw my niece and nephew today for the first time since Christmas! I was amazed at how much my niece's smile reminds me of Mama's smile!

Here's everybody!

Butterfly Festival at Dunwoody Nature Center

Janice and I enjoyed seeing the butterflies. We were supposed to feed them, but they weren't too hungry by the time we got there.

Psalm 84

I went to a good friend's mother's funeral today. There was a lot of Scripture and a lot of pretty hymns. My favorite Scripture was Psalm 84. I think I'll recommend that we read it at Mama's funeral when the time comes. The Psalm emphasizes the joy of dwelling in the presence of the Lord. That is my mother! In fact, even now, although she is rather out of it with Alzheimer's, my mother still seems so peaceful. (She is probably dwelling in the presence of God!)

The Psalm also emphasizes the blessing of those who dwell in the house of God. Oh how my mother loved St. Peter's Episcopal Church! She was there every time the doors were open! 

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you." My mother certainly relied on God; she had to with 6 children! And, my goodness, did she ever turn her Valleys of Baca into a place of springs! My mother had the gift of turning difficult times into blessful times.

Psalm 84 just keeps getting better! Probably it's most famous line is "Better is one day in your courts than a 1000 elsewhere."

"No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." My mother has led a blameless life! God will withhold nothing from her at the gates of Heaven!

Ride at your own risk!

Gone fishin...

Indiana Jones to the rescue!

Looking good!

Mama had a great day! She got her hair done, which really perked her up, and Charles fed her lunch afterwards. He said she was holding her own fork and even uttered a phrase or two. I'm so happy!

My mother's glasses

Sunday, as I was opening the glove compartment, it fell off its hinges and dropped to the floorboard! Amongst the driving manual and some expired insurance cards lay my mother's old pair of glasses. Who knows why I put them there!

They are the prettiest little pair of glasses... a rosy color that looked really good on Mama. Holding them brings back so many memories! The major memory is that Mama always wore glasses. She said she was blind as a bat, almost as if it were a feat that only few in life could achieve. I remember when Mama upgraded to trifocals! She's one of the few people I've ever known to wear trifocals. When we played solitaire, Mama would often say "Let's stop, children, and let me readjust my glasses!" When I got glasses in fifth grade, it felt special to be joining a club that Mama already belonged to.

When Mama had cataract surgery, she exclaimed how wonderful it was to see again! She still wore glasses to read, but at least they weren't trifocals! What's strange is that we (her children) thought she looked better with glasses on! I guess we were so used to them.

There's no need for Mama to wear glasses now; they'd just get in her way, and she can see well enough to get by. But, I'll probably keep these rose-colored glasses forever!