Its been almost 8 months since my Mammie went to be with the Lord. I think about her everyday. There is always something making me smile and reminding me of her. Lately its been while watching my mom and my son together. After Rowdy gets out of the bath or anytime he doesnt have socks on my mom will say "You're gonna give that boy pnemonia" or "Your mommy is always freezing you, isnt she!" and it always reminds me of Mammie. My mom is turning into her mom. (This is a wonderful thing, mom)
When I was little, I would tell Mammie when I was in trouble, and she would, in turn, get my mom in trouble. She would say "Yall be nice to my little darlin, she didnt do anything wrong." It used to make me laugh so hard. I can remember my mom being on the phone with mammie and I would scream that I was in time out so Mammie could hear me and make my mom set me free! This is probably how it will be with my mom and my son now.
I wish so badly that Mammie couldve held Rowdy and his new cousin, Stryder. I wish she could take them to all the garage sales she took me to so they could pick out all the toy cars and mcdonalds toys their little hearts desired. They wouldve been her new 'little darlin's.' I know she is their guardian angel, and they will know all about her and what a wonderful Mammie she was.
This is the eulogoy I wrote and read at Mammie's funeral:
For some people, were here to celebrate the life of betty, for some its mom, for others its mammie, or sister, aunt, or friend. For me, it's my mammie.
My Mammie was born in 1943, to Dora pearl and Ewing Boyd. Mammie was a spit fire at age 68 so I can't imagine her as a young girl. The year she was born, the great depression ended, a gallon of gas was 15 cents. She lived to watch it go up to $4, the average cost of a new house was $3,000, TVs weren't something everyone had, and mammie lived to see everyone watch tv on their iPad, she didn't have a phone in her house when she was born, but she lived long enough to own a blackberry. I didn't say she could use it, just owned it.
My mammie had a sense of humor. i loved to hear her laugh, especially when she laughed hard like she did when she told me this story. When she was a little girl, She brought her bed ridden daddy plastic eggs that were impossible to cut and giggled under his bed while he yelled 'Betty sue!' As he tried to cut them.
Mammie was the only little girl in a house full of brothers.
She kicked over her brothers dirt piles and watched them get spanked after they would try to get her.
She grew up and had babies of her own. Steve, mona, candy, chris, boo, and a red head named leroy. She taught them to be forgiving and thoughtful, and how to cook and clean. They cleaned the house one night while she was at work. They were so excited to see her face when she opened the door and saw those sparkling floors, but instead of smiling, she slipped on the furniture polished tiled floor, sailed all the way across the room and ended up breaking her toe.
She was compassionate and full of love. She lived her life for her family, a very selfless woman. She was filled with joy when her family was happy, they are the center of her world, and she was the center of ours, she was the heart. She was the proudest woman, and even when facing her own challenges, she would beam with pride over her grandson in the army, her granddaughter chasing her artistic dream, her young granddaughter reciting scripture, her grandsons' happiness, and her sons and daughter's will to give their families everything they can. I am certain that She is still cheering for you, praying for you, smiling for you.
Mammies's house was filled to the top with knick Nacks and dolls. She was so proud that she had to have a collectible doll named after everyone in her family. And even though there was no room left, she still enjoyed garage sales so she could fill your house up with good finds, like shoes, a cake slicer, hand bag, or toy cars.
Her friends will miss her listening ear and comforting shoulder. She loved to talk, she loved to know everything that was going on. She always listened to her police scanner so she would know the scoop. And I'm certain it made her a nervous wreck. If you came to visit and werent hungry, She was convinced you had worms. If you sneezed, you were coming down with pneumonia.
At Christmas, it didn't matter what gift she received, new hangers or a diamond necklace, she would cry and everyone could see what a grateful woman she was. I already told you how proud she was of her family, but that doesn't mean she didn't think we were a mess. I will miss seeing her shaking her head at the madness when we were all together, and asking constantly where the babies were. We would tell her 'they're up stairs mammie' and she would just shake her head and say 'm m mm.'
We all miss her voice, her hugs, her smile, her protection, kindness, love, phone calls, her thoughtfulness, her quirkiness.
But I see these things in my mom, aunt, uncles, great uncles, and cousins, and I am so thankful that we all had such a wonderful mammie to teach us how to be the family we are, the family she loved more than anything. So keep sharing with her, keep talking to her, you know she hated not knowing what was going on.
