Top 5 Memories of Grandma on Grandparents Day

3 of my grandparents died before I turned 1, so I only have memories of my Nanny. On this Grandparents day, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories.

My Nanny was a southern belle. The door to her Biloxi, MS home was always open to anyone who needed a meal, or a friend. She had such a warm hug for all of her grand children when we gathered at her home. I think she knew I loved her and I know how much she loved me!

MY TOP 5 MEMORIES:

1. The smells. If I get to a calm place and meditate a minute, I can almost smell her bedroom. It was not a girly smell, nor was it a nasty smell. It was her and I loved it. If you were lucky to take a nap in her bed, you could smell that grandmotherly smell.

2. The big bed. My Nanny had (what was to me) a massive bed with the 4-posts. It was always delicately made with soft cotton blankets and pillowcases with lace. It was so beautiful. Most of the time, we were not allowed to climb on the bed. I have 5 brothers, so that had to be off limits when my family visited or the boys could get a little rowdy. But if I was visiting by myself, I got the privilege of climbing on that spectacular bed.

3. The food. My nanny was one of the best cooks in the world. Her gumbo recipe is still famous in my family. I have passed that recipe on to many of my cousins. You could smell the roux cooking when you walked in the front door.

4. The front porch. My nanny had a massive porch across the front of her house. She had a swing and Adirondack chairs on the porch looking down the slope across the yard. I have such great memories of mornings when we would sit out on that porch and talk and laugh for hours. That was the place I would make the time to chat with the "older generation". You could get them one on one and learn about them. I'm sure they liked having time with the younger folks on that porch too.

5. The azaleas. My nanny had such a green thumb. She had a large property and from the front to the back she had massive azalea bushes. She was so good at growing them, that she even grafted several to make different color hybrids. Her house was always filled with flowers she would get right from the yard.

I would give anything to be able to see her out in that yard with her clippers one more time. Or to see her behind that stove stirring the okra for her gumbo. Oh, it would be so glorious to climb in that magnificent bed one more time. It won't happen. But I can dream. If you still have your grandparents, be sure you call them or visit them if you can. Believe me, you will still have the memories, but being there with them can not be replaced!