in dedication to may e. brown

i am very lucky to say that i had the privilege of growing up with grandparents and great grandparents...on both my mom and dad’s sides.  i got to spend a lot of time with all of them. some of my very fondest memories include my grandma brown (my mom’s mom) and my great grandma applegarth (my mom’s grandmother).  both my grandpa and great grandpa died too soon, before i was even born, and the two of them ended up living together. neither one every remarried.

i loved spending the days with them, when my mom worked or ran errands.  we played dress up with their costume jewelry, made potato soup or kraft shells and cheese, ate oreo cookies from the brown cookie jar (which only ever held oreo cookies!), ate frito chips, played cribbage and tiddly winks and watched lots of the fun gameshows like pyramid and press your luck.  i loved those days and felt so much love from the both of them.  they supported my creativity and encouraged the activities i was involved in.  i would roller skate in their big concrete driveway during the day and play atari with them in the evenings.  we went to dos hombres alot, which was their favorite.  they both crocheted and knitted and i now cherish some of those crazy colored blankets and throws.  holidays were my favorite with them and i remember the recipes and dish-ware that made it special being in the kitchen with them.  there was a lot of love and laughter in that house.

i was heart broken, in college, when my great grandma passed away and to this day, i miss her dearly.  very rarely does a single day go by that i don’t think of her and how much she would love the bird.  she was very capable, both mentally and physically, all the way to the end.  with her passing, grandma has never been the same since.  i can only imagine how she must have missed her so much as they were not only mother and daughter but great friends and for many years - room mates.

the past couple of months have been pretty tough on my grandma.  she has struggled with her health and been in and out of the hospital several times.  her struggle finally ended yesterday afternoon.  today, i am dedicating all of my love and thoughts to her, as i hope she has now found a better and more peaceful place.  i am saddened to know that channing will never get to know her but, i will do my best to always let her know what strong, caring, wonderful women she comes from.  and how much she is loved by them, even though they are no longer here. i will always share my stories of them with the bird, because i loved them so much and want her to know how amazing they were.  i wish she could experience their love for just one day.

all of my love to you, grandma.  we will love you forever.