I know I have been Blessed to have experienced having 2 beautiful grandmothers. The spirit of them both still resides within me to the core. Their authenticity makes them rather unique.
This time of the year as families get together for the season ongoing holiday festivities from Thanksgiving to Christmas and ending with the finale or beginning, some may argue, New Year. Everyone is in good cheer, greetings with hugs and kisses, boasting about the best recipes, and possibly swapping recipes of the great feast. Some reminiscing of old while some are creating new traditions. Somehow Grandmoms are up there on the list of memories. Awww, the biscuits, the cakes, the pies, the gravy, the seasonings of her greens, and let's not forget the egg nog, the long prayer cause she had to name everyone near or far and the list could go on. How she'd make a fuss if you didn't eat or at least sample everything because she made it with love, straight from her heart. It was a production, to say the least. She was the boss as she directed the scene while stories were swapped among loved ones and she was joyful admiring her offspring...my how the family has grown.
My one grandmother was into fashion esthetics like red nail polish, matte red lipstick, and perfume, I think it possibly was Jean Nate after bath splash. She had a love for music, often you'd catch her dancing to Herb Albert, Frank Sinatra, Big Band, jazz, and Dean Martin. She was a socialite, always attending cabarets. She also had a love for jewelry. I think she wore Doc Martens with everything due to her arthritis. She had a large family so we always had plenty of aunts and uncles around. She was not a nurturing grandmother, very distant though she'd strike up a brief conversation, She was fond of parrots, dogs, cats, and fish. I found that ironic as I grew older and noticed how shallow she was towards us as grandchildren. But my aunts and uncles made up for the love and my grandfather spoiled us all with his love and his smile. So i guess I get my love for music, dancing, makeup, and jewelry from her.
My other grandmother was the total opposite. In her house, it was a home full of laughter, love, hugs, and a plethora of home-cooked meals from scratch. She too had a lot of children, so again plenty of aunts and uncles around to join in the fun. In her home is where you'd hear primarily gospel sounds of Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland, and the Caravans, The 5 Blind Boys, and Shirley Ceasar to name a few. She woke up it was prayer time and all day long you could hear her saying repeatedly,,,"Thank you Lord, and Praise God". She'd make a big breakfast consisting of oatmeal/grits, bacon/sausage, handmade biscuits/cornbread from the black cast iron skillet, and fried potatoes. You could smell black coffee brewing and maple syrup/King syrup for those pancakes, that's the thick syrup. Not to exclude milk. She'd make you sit down and eat was the order but it was after a long prayer from my grandfather, I mean long. SHe'd then start washing clothes and she'd love to hang them outside for the fresh smell but when the weather was bad in the dryer they'd go on a clothesline in the basement. You saw my aunt's ironing too. Oh everyone had chores. Uncles had to wash cars, mop floors, put out trash, and wash the German Shepard, Champ. During the week my grandma prepared lunch, we didn't have a cafeteria so we went home for lunch. Still milk no juice. Then dinner it was from scratch from fried chicken even in the heat or baked chicken, greens seasoned just right after all of the soaking picking bad parts off stem, you could finally smell them, cutting more potatoes either potatoe salad or mashed. But there was always a cake and pie for dinner. Everyone had to parcipate with the cooking down to polishing the table and putting on a freash table cloth. This grandma was always in Church every Sunday and she had a testimoney each Sunday along with a song of praise. She spoke softly and very humble and the care of her children came was a priority. On Sunday's she was like Jackie Onasis with suit jacket/skirt or dress, heels ,hat and gloves. I admired that she drove a stick shift, white Fiat with red interior. My grandfather work a job and was a veteran and entrepreneur owning a neighborhood store and a couple of houses. This afforded my grandmother to be a stay at home mom/wife. She gave hugs for days and everyone called her Mother. She'd feed neighborhood people that were hungry and would pray for neigbors as well as strangers in need of a prayer warrior. When my grandfather would go to work, sometimes she'd allow my aunt's and uncle's to listen to as they called it secular like The Supremes, The Temptaions, The Four Tops, and James Brown just to name a few, Yes, she was gentle and graceful,very nurturing and loved to have all the grandchildren over even to spend nights. We could stay up to eat treats like ice cream and cake. Reminscing of observing her daily work ethics of taking care of the home, cooking meals 3 times a day, cleaning, sweeping down stairs, Friday nights were family night so all of tthe parents would take us to grandmother house, it would be pizza time or McDonald's or Gino's. Saturday's was not only for full clean up day and preeping food for Sunday but it also included my grandmother shampooing and pressing hair without blow dryers. How did she do it? So I know for sure I inherited and am rooted in the spiritual gift from her. It was always tome for prayer and reading scriptures in that house and because of her love it was a home. WELCOMING ALL.
So the 2 sides of me love of fashion, jewelry, music and dance as well as love for children, my spiritual connection with God and making a house into a home filled with many hugs, kisses and much love .... I am Blessed to have experience two wonderful women with their diverse background that influenced me and now God has allowed me to wear the crown of a grandmom.
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