Last year for Christmas, #1son and wife gave Handsome and me Ancestry tests. I stuck mine on my desk and finally sent it in a few weeks ago. A confirmation e-mail came and I began filling in a family tree. All of the sudden pictures and records of various family members began popping up.
One picture was of my grandmother with her five sisters. They all had on white shirts with a pin at the throat. Their hair in topknots. What I love about the picture is their names are written on the back. All of their names began with "L," Lannie, Letha, Lottie, Lela, Lou, and Lillie--my grandmother who went by a shortened version of her middle name, Josie. My mom's middle is Lorene. I like how my mom gave my sisters and I "L" middle names: Lea, Louise, Lynn, Lynette.
The photo is printed on a postcard, taken at a studio in a small town near where they were raised. There is a backdrop of painted panels and the name of the photographer is embossed in a corner. When visiting my mom several years ago, we went through a box which had belonged to her uncle who had lived with my grandmother. That picture was in his box. Mom gave it to me.
I attended community college about fifteen minutes from her house. One semester I had three hours between classes. I bought hamburgers for us and visited with her. And was I happy she lived to meet my sons. Just writing this little bit about her makes me teary.
What holiday cake did Grandmother bake? Check out The Great Fruitcake Bake-off, my romantic comedy short story featured in the Whispers of Winter holiday anthology.
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5 comments:
What a fun post. I miss my grandmother. She didn't get to meet my children but I think she watches over us. She's one of the people, I'd love to chat with again. Last year, my dad sent me some photo albums. I took pictures of them all and put them up on dropbox so that my family could have access to them. It's fun to see and imagine what life was like for my ancestors.
Thank you so much for reading. My sisters and I are getting ready to go over more of the parents' belongings and we'll probably discover some more pictures. I once asked Grandmother what she thought about cars: "Wanted to drive one." Planes: "Want to go in one." Voting: "Wanted to vote." All stuff we take for granted.
I miss my grandmother the most during the holiday season. We would walk through the neighborhood, admire the decorations, and stop for hot chocolate. Thank you for sharing this post.
My grandmother, very grand, didn't speak English, had 12 children, my mother was the middle child and the hub of the family, they never needed pals because they had each other. Glorious
times and I was the first and only daughter. Lots of boy cousins and me the middle child of two brothers. Seldom, through the years, I never met a family like ours. Way back then, no one smiled when photos were taken. No one said CHEESE when taking pix. Somber in a family with beautiful daughters. I learned early on, to smile big time.
Thanks for a delightful blog! Best always, author Charmaine Gordon mother of six-I was nutsy, for sure.
Hi, Angela! I love having a tradition with a favorite family member. My family would spend Christmas Even with extended family at Grandmother's house. It was a great time. Unfortunately, after she passed, no one else wanted to get together.
Hi, Charmaine! No pals needed in your large family. My mom's was the same way. Every Monday, the girls gathered at Grandmother's and caught up over knitting, quilting, and other crafts. It was truly special.
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