Memories

So, as I sit wrapping, and wrapping, and wrapping, and wrapping, I think. I usually have the TV on with something mindless I don't have to pay attention to (read: any of the Real Housewives shows) or I watch Holiday Inn (my super favorite Christmas movie). I talk to myself (usually in my head, but sometimes it comes out loud) and I take walks down memory lane.

(My sister has instructed me that I need to put kleenex warnings on my sappy posts. So here's your warning Didi. Grab the tissues now. Here's a photo for you to look at while you wait for DiDi and her tissues.)

Most of the time (and I've pretty much bored anyone who is around me while I wrap with this story) I think about my Murmur. She was my Dad's mom, and an amazing woman. I am the oldest (I know!) grandchild and I am considerably older (7 years --- ok, really 6 years and 360 days) than the next grandchild, so I had a lot of time to make memories with her.

One of my most favorites are during Christmas. I would always help her Christmas shop. We always would go to Stripling and Cox department store and buy for everyone. In one day. I would bring Christmas tapes (yes tapes, I'm old) and one year made a mixed tape for us to listen to. I usually used the KVIL CD that we had because I (thought) I could sing just like them. Then we'd go out to lunch. And depending on how tired she was, we'd wrap presents afterwards. We always bought enough to qualify for free wrapping, but usually they'd be backed up and we'd just get the free boxes. I'd sit on her kitchen floor and spread out the wrapping paper and add ribbons and bows while she wrapped at her table. I'd enjoy an icy cold Coca Cola (she always had them) and we'd chat. We'd laugh and come up with some phrase that would keep reoccurring during our conversations that would make us laugh even harder.

When I got old enough to drive her, I'd be her chauffeur and whisk her around places.

When she got to the point that she was more comfortable in a wheelchair for the long duration, I'd whip the wheelchair out of the back of the car or suburban and lift her in and out of it (she was small) and we'd go for rides. I probably scared her sometimes, and she probably prayed A LOT when we were doing that, but we had fun.

I also warned my mom and sister to be nice to me when it got close to those shopping trips because I had the power to help pick out something very lovely, or something, very... not. :) I used my power for good, not evil...

One time, Jason accompanied me and my sister on said shopping trip. I'm pretty sure we had just gotten married and I still wanted to come down for our annual trip. Since we usually ate at Cheddar's and it was in the same shopping strip (just across the parking lot), I had the idea of my sister pushing Murmur across the parking lot in her wheelchair, since it was so hard for Murmur to get in and out of it. It was the best idea ever! Again, a lot of praying probably went on, but they raced us and I think won! I know that there was running at some point on my sister's part. I took pictures and everything, but that was before digital and I'm not hooked up to the scanner at this computer.

That was the last time that I went with her on her shopping trips. Work got in the way, life happened, illnesses occurred etc. I'll always have those fabulous memories and will make sure to try and make some of those fabulous memories for my Mamu and Bebe. And maybe a mixed tape too....

2nd Pew to the Left

So, while we were driving to church (yes, we were running a smidgent late again), I started thinking about going to my childhood church. I always sat with my Grandmother (Murmur) and she had a favorite pew. I can NEVER remember sitting somewhere other than the 2nd pew to the left. N.E.V.E.R. I think there was one time that a visitor made the mistake of sitting there and we might have moved back a row, and I don't think we ever saw them again.... :) Ask anyone in the family - we sit on the 2nd Pew to the Left.
It was a very touching thing to see that pew empty at her funeral. Well, it was empty to the naked eye, but we all knew she was sitting there writing us notes on the bulletin.
Yes, notes on the church bulletin. I don't know if your church does a printed bulletin - ours still does - but this was back in the days when there weren't video screens and such in the church. Somewhere between the opening hymn and the Lord's Prayer, she would always scribble something on the bulletin for me - usually a question. I'd answer and then possibly ask her a question and so on. [Remember where I said we said on the 2nd pew to the left? Yea - the pastor probably saw all of it. Since Murmur was a founding member of this church, they probably figured it was best to let it slide.] Anyways, back to the bulletin writing. I remember reading her cursive writing on the bulletin - it was so pretty - and answering whatever she had asked me. Usually just "How was your week?" or "You look pretty today." Sometimes (especially in the early teen years) I was embarassed by it, but still wrote back.
I can still see the bulletins in my head - there weren't places to write on it (like lines for notes or anything) so we would write in any of the available space. When it was filled up, we were done. Sadly, we didn't save any of them, but the memory lasts on in my mind.
Well, I've carried on the tradition - actually Bebe started it. I bet an angel whispered in her ear to write to me. Ever since she could write anything, she's been writing to me on the bulletin. Usually it's "Can we get donuts after church?" or "Can we get a cookie at Kroger?" I answer and then we fill up all the available space. Our bulletins are fancy though. They have lines for "Sermon Notes". I figure this is a kind of ministry in it's own. Plus, we don't sit on the 2nd pew to the left in our home church.