My Gee-Gee

Today, I have a mixture of emotions running through me – grief, sadness, loss and love. My beloved grandmother Gee-Gee passed away a year ago today, leaving behind an entire family, lost without her presence. I feel incredibly sad that my boys will never know their great-grandmother, for she was the tie to another lost loved one, their grandmother Sharon (my mom) who passed away in 1984.

My grandmother was not your typical grandmother, but I loved that about her. You wouldn’t catch her baking cookies if you stopped by. I LOVED everything about her. She was an intellectual, a writer, a poet and she loved to talk and laugh. She could out talk just about anyone I knew. My dad, in his deep East Texas accent, would say, “She could talk the ears off a Billy goat.” I loved that I could talk about all sorts of topics with her. I especially loved talking politics with her. She would make me laugh so hard when she would tell me how she always voted for the better looking candidate. Since that was subjective, I was always left wondering who she really voted for.

Gee-Gee loved life and life loved her. She loved all of her grandchildren with a great passion, and was so proud when her great-grandchildren were born, from her first until her last. She always kept pictures of Tyler and Luke, above her bed in the nursing home and would always ask about "her babies" when I would visit her. I remember when I had just had Luke, he was 2 months old, and she asked me when I was going to have another baby. I thought she was NUTS! I told her, “Gee-Gee, Luke is only 2 months old and he has colic! Are you kidding me?” At the time, I would have rather died than had another baby. Luke was a screamer, he would scream at the top of his lungs from the early afternoon until bedtime everyday for the first four months of his life. Since I was already struggling with Tyler’s diagnosis with autism, it nearly pushed me over the edge. Her question now serves as a reminder of how much she truly loved her family and wanted it to continue and grow.

I could go on and on sharing stories about her, but this one really pays tribute to her fun-loving personality. My cousin Johanna was born on Halloween, five days before me. So many of her early birthday celebrations were costume themed parties at her house on Little John Lane. One year in particular, I think we were four, Gee-Gee was late. She parked down the road, where no one could see her. Gee-Gee had a costume on, a very scary and convincing one. She walked up the street and came to the party and frightened all of the little children – she was a witch! Looking back on this, it’s hilarious! At the time, it may have been the scariest moment in our young lives and was quite traumatic. I wish someone could find this photo, what a funny memory!

Although my mom was taken from me too young, I am blessed to have had such an amazing and inspiring woman as my grandmother. She taught me to be strong, to love life and to do things I love. They same time heals, but I think I will always have a hole in my heart, for two of the most important women in my life, were taken from me. Instead of feeling sad, I feel the need to cherish my memories of them and honor my love. For in that way, I can always keep my mom and grandmother near and dear to my heart and that is where they will continue to live on.