Maw Maw

Maw Maw & Granddad with their grandchildren (Brent, Josh, Jenny, myself, & Andrea) in 1983.

Froot Loops, the red candy dish, peeling apples for nighttime snacks, apple pie, calling time & temperature, playing with my hair, catfish dinners, Burger Chef, burning trash out back in a barrel, her singing voice at church, red cardinals. These are all things that I think of what I think of Maw Maw. She passed away 2 years ago today. I still miss her. I know she was a Christian and I have hope in that, but I still miss her.

Maw Maw was a wonderful grandmother who loved her family unconditionally. I still remember the way she would grab my hand and squeeze it tight and I'd look down at the age spots on her hand. Playing with my hair was one of my favorite things she would do! I would get a brush and lay my head down in her lap, even until I was quite old, and she would brush & brush. My cousin, Andrea, and I would "fight" over whose turn it was. In this picture, she is doing it for both of...minus the brush! I treasure the memories I have of her and the few "things" of hers that I have....a necklace, some dishes, the above mentioned candy dish, a quilt, a rug & a Bible Study book from a Bible Class she attended at some point that has her hand written notes in it.

I am grateful that Chris and Gracie got to know & love Maw Maw. She was able to visit our homes in Texas and in South Carolina. This picture is from Thanksgiving 1998 with my cousin, Jenny, and my aunt, Nanette.

I have a picture of Maw Maw with all of her grandchildren (as of January 2003) in a frame in the den. This picture is from her 80th birthday party where all of her children & grandchildren were able to be present. This party was in January and she died the next November. I am so thankful for that party and the time we had together as a family.

I have taught Katie that the woman in the picture is Maw Maw and I love hearing her say "Maw Maw" in her sweet 19 month old voice. Katie never got to meet Maw Maw, I was pregnant with Katie when she died, but I know Maw Maw loved her anyway. She knew I was pregnant and I know she loved my child even before she was born. There is an interesting story about Katie's name that I will forever wonder about. I sometimes think maybe Maw Maw had a hand in naming her even though she had already passed away. I don't mean to sound "weird" or "spooky" about it. Just read the story and decide for yourself.

I was pregnant with Katie. We didn't know if it was a girl or a boy, although we kind of suspected it was a girl. We had thought of many names, but never "Katie." I had thought of Kathleen & Kate, but never really Katie. One night, I dreamed we had a girl and named her Katie. I woke up and told Chris and he immediately liked it. I wasn't sure because it seemed so common to me. I told my mom and I could tell she wasn't thrilled with it, mainly because of the "common-ness" of it. Chris really liked it and kept pushing for it.

Well, back at the beginning of my pregnancy, I had liked the name "Brooklyn." Chris hadn't really liked it, and my dad had gone so far as to joke, "Why don't you just name her Manhattan?" (smart-aleck!) So, I had kind of forgotten about that name. Towards the end of the pregnancy, one of my friends emailed me and suggested "Julianne Brooklyn." (Julianne was on our list.) I mentioned it to Chris and he didn't like it, but he suggested "Katie Brooklyn." I liked it! I thought I must have told my friend about liking the name Brooklyn, but she said I hadn't. I thought that was kind of weird that she would have mentioned it all on her own, so in the end that ended up being her name.

When Katie was born, my dad called my Aunt Sandy to tell her the baby was born and the name. Sandy said, "Maw Maw's favorite book was "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." I never knew that! So, I thought that was pretty cool. After I got home from the hospital, Chris checked the book out of the library for me. I started reading it and one of the main character's names is Katie! I have always felt that Katie's name is all the more special because of these little "coincidences."

Maw Maw will forever be remembered and loved by all of her grandchildren and I think of her often!