It's been a bittersweet day. My daughter had an interview for an internship with Harper Collins. That would be a dream come true for her. She is an amazing kid, and I'm so proud of her. I am truly blessed and inspired by her. There is no doubt in my mind that she will grow up to be very successful, and show everyone else in the world what a special young lady she is.
The downside of the day was finding out my grandmother has colon cancer. That hit me pretty hard. I know people grow old and pass on, but it never really sinks in until it hits you up side the head. My grandmother, my only remaining grandparent, has been a rock in our family. Even though she is my step-grandmother, she's the only grandmother I've ever known on my dad's side. She may not be blood related, but she's the best grandmother you could ask for.
My dad's mom died when he was a little boy, so I never met my paternal grandmother. My Mema and Papa were married not long before my parents. Mema has 2 children, Papa had 2 children, and together they had a daughter that is less than a year older than my brother. With my grandparents living a block away, it was more like having an older sister. When we were younger, the three of us went to all kinds of places together. Being a pentecostal preachers kid, my brother and I weren't supposed to do a lot of things, but my grandmother, who is Baptist, would load the three of us up and take us on adventures on a regular basis. We saw lots of movies like Chitty-chitty-bang-bang, Mary Poppins, Escape to Witch Mountain, and many other Disney originals. She took us to see the Nutcracker, and a ballet called Agape. She made sure we got to do the same things everyone else did. She showed us unconditional love. Taught us respect. We did crafts, and played games. She laughed at us when we were having fun, nurtured us when we were sick or fell out of the big pecan tree in their back yard, and disciplined us when we needed it. We all took piano lessons and played on her piano. She even rode in a wagon down a HUGE hill with us. During the holidays, she made everyone feel special. Mema's house was always "home." When the entire family got together, there were quite a few of us. I'm not sure how they managed it, but they did. We all knew that Mema and Papa would always be there for us, not matter what.
After I graduated from high school, we moved to south Texas where I realized just how small the small north Texas town I grew up in was. I started finding myself, and finding trouble. After a chain of events, I moved back to my small town and lived with my Mema and Papa. My cousin Janet was there for a short period as well. As always, Mema and Papa were there, steady as a rock. Loving both of us through our growing pains and hard times.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, Mema was always there. My daughter has grown up to see her in the same light I did. She's felt the same warmth, and unconditional love I have. After my Papa died when my daughter was a toddler, Mema was still the rock in the family. She held us together. Even though she has no blood relation to us, and she has her own set of kids, we've all stayed family because of her strength and love, and I'm sure we'll stay that way long after she's gone because of the love she instilled in each of us.
As I've gotten older and moved 2000 miles away, I've let my relationship with most of my family slip away. Even though my Mema lives a block from my parents, who I talk to a couple of times a week, I have failed to keep in touch with Mema. I truly regret that. Now reality comes along and kicks me in the teeth, and I realize the best person that has ever been in my life could be slipping away. How did life get away from me? Why did I lose touch the way I have? I need to remedy this. I know my Mema will always love me no matter what, but I also need to regain my relationship with the rest of my family: cousins I used to be so close to, aunts and uncles I haven't talked to in years, my brother that I don't talk to much but he's still my brother. I need to get my family back before I lose them all.
As a preachers kid, I was always taught that we don't have to see eye to eye, we just have to love each other no matter what. We all lead different lives, have different beliefs, and views. But each of us has that little bit of "Mema" in us. We're all leading decent lives and trying to be good people. Maybe this is His way of making me realize what I've been missing all these years.
