Baba

I didn't know my grandparents well growing up. God blessed me and my siblings with a church family and other special family friends who substituted quite well though. I am SO grateful for those people in my life...then and now. Having said that, when my family moved to Melber, I was able to see a different side of family that I had never known. It's the first time in my life words like cousin, aunt, grandmother, grandfather, etc became real and more than just a word I mentioned when asked about my extended family. Those words were rich with a love and history. I really didn't understand what I had been missing during my childhood until we moved to Melber.

This woman is one of my favorite people in the world. Baba and Dado taught me what grandparents were. They showed me and great example of what it looks like for grandparents to love their grandchildren. Baba turned 94 years old yesterday. She is the strongest woman I have ever met. Her health is not perfect but it is still better than any 94 year-old I have ever met. I want so bad for her to be alive for my children to really remember her like I do. I know that is not likely. I wish I would have known her a lot longer than I have. I wish I had stories of my grandmother like Mark does. I will cherish the last 14 years I have had with her. I love that she calls me her grandchild even though I technically am not. I will do my best to show my kids pictures of her with them, and tell them how much she adored them. I wanted to dedicate this blog post to this sweet lady. Here are a few things I want to remember:) I hope I get to keep adding to this list!

-She cooks a mean breakfast! Her biscuts are her trademark. I have tried for years to make them. I'm pretty sure I just don't use enough lard:(
-If you don't take what she has offered you the first time, she will keep asking until you take it. Might as well just take it when she offers no matter how full you are.
-She loves the Lord. She raised her family to follow God.
-I am pretty sure she works harder than me keeping her house clean. We always compare our cleaning schedules when we talk on the phone.
-I love it when she calls the day before our weekend visit to ask what I want her to make for me:) Strawberry pie is my favorite!
-She never measures any ingredient. Ever.
-If you ask her for a recipe, she will NOT include all the ingredients unless it is written down. It's best to just watch her make it and write down as she goes.
-I love walking in her house in the evening when she has a small lamp on readying her Bible at the kitchen table.
-She takes forever at the grocery because she stops to visit with everyone.
-She says things like 'be good to the bread' to the grocery boy who puts the groceries in her trunk.
-Nothing is ever 'fit to eat' according to her when he cooks
-Aaron and Corban always ask her to make them 'oats' for breakfast.
-Mark and I always remind her that they are 5yrs and 2yrs and big enough to feed themselves. (She always tries to feed them)
-She showed me the best example of how to love her husband.
-She NEVER forgets to call me during the week even when I do.
-She makes sure to reprimand Mark if he is critical of my cooking.
-She loves to rock my children.
-She taught me the word 'shit-fire' (can I say that on my blog?????)
-Corban told us the other day that Baba calls him "sweet darlin"
-When I was so stressed the day before my wedding she hid me in her house so no one would find me:)

The biggest thing I will always remember about Baba is her heart for service. She is a servant. It is simply who she is. I will forever be grateful to God for the opportunity to know this special woman who introduces me to others as her granddaughter. Such sweet words to me.