Rose of My Heart

The beginning of February we traveled to Oklahoma, as Papa Al would say for the LAST TIME EVER!, for my Great-Great Grannie Rosie's funeral. I had known Grannie my whole life and while we were sitting in the church we had the chance to share our memories. I learned some things from the stories that were told and realized she was more apart of me than I had known.

Grannie loved to laugh. Most of the time she would get so tickled that it was hard to get anything done. She laughed and laughed so hard that at times she would pee herself. At least I know this runs in the family! One day Grannie was with her brother, Uncle Bud, his wife Thelma, their son Tommy and Dane. They were picking huckleberries when one of them had kicked a bumble bee nest. The bees started swarming all around them and Grannie had a front row view for the show. She was laughing so hard seeing them run and holler as the bee's began to sting them. Grannie could have avoided getting stung all together but because she couldn't stop laughing she didn't run and laughed so hard she pee'd her pants. All Grannie could do was pull the big yellow jackets from her head and arms and laugh.

Grannie was always on the go. She loved to go places. When she was a young girl she would go to the town dances and the boys would fight over who go to take her out on the floor. Grandpa Roy seemed to win that fight in a hurry beings that they got married when she was 18. For her last birthday a cousin had driven down a couple hundred miles to make it for the party. He pulled up on his motorcycle and saw everyone in the front yard and said "Who wants to go for a ride?!" Well, you guessed it. Grannie hopped on the back and they went around the block. Nothing was ever going to keep her from a good time!

Grannie loved everyone and most of all she took care of everyone. We would travel to Oklahoma for Christmas and because my family can never leave on time we would seem to show up in the middle of the night. When we got to the house she would always wake up and greet us no matter how quiet we seemed to be. I don't really think we know how to be quiet, but it helped that we would be in trouble if we didn't wake her up when we got in. When should would hug us she always made sure you felt squeezed tight. She would ask us if we were hungry, have our beds already pulled out and a pile of blankets set in the living room for us to get. The next morning we would wake up to a breakfast fit for kings. Biscuits and gravy, eggs and toast, sausage and bacon, pancakes and molasses and Ben's all time favorite chicken and dumplings. Ben always said no one made them better than Grannie.  

Grannie was such a comedian. She would tell the funniest jokes and never enjoyed just quiet. She loved to talk and tell stories. If there was a lull in conversation she would fix that by cracking a joke. Sometimes they were jokes we had already heard but the way Grannie would tell them would always make us laugh again. Mama told a story of her and Jonny finding a dead rat. Grannie went outside and buried it in the garden and told them not to bother it. Mama and Jonny shook their heads and went off to play. Grannie knew what they were up to and I am sure watched them out the kitchen window and laughed when she heard them screaming when they found the tail!

So while Grannie had given me my name she gave me more than that. She taught me to love and take care of the people in your life. She taught me that life was funny and to fill it with giggles. Grannie had such an amazing life and I am so thankful that she could spend so much of it together. I am so happy that she has moved on to a life where her family has waiting for her for so long. They had to wait a long time for her and I miss her already!

Andrew, Ricky and I were laughing at what Papa Al had said. That we would never come to Oklahoma again! This made us all laugh but it also makes me so thankful that no matter where my family is, and how much we hate where they might live, we are willing to make the sacrifices to be together. That there is a new meeting place for us and we will all be there for the next party.