Yesterday, I went to a family reunion that is always held on the first weekend of December. We went to Sylvania, Georgia, 60 miles 'up the road' to visit our cousins. My mamma and aunt were the only two children of my grandmother, but her sister, our great aunt 'WeeWee', had eight children. Sadly, there are only three of the eight left. My mamma and aunt have gone to heaven. There is one child left of the mischievious younger brother, my great uncle Bubba, but she is living in Tennessee and couldn't be there. So, there were only three of the older crowd gathered: BettySue, Lucille, and John Harold. My mamma and aunt Saramina loved their first cousins. They had First Cousins meetings each year. My mamma was the secretary, and she took some really hilarious 'minutes' of these meetings! Anyway, my great aunt lived all by herself on her 80 acres of land, in the same house, until she was over 100 years old! She was a fiesty little lady, just like my grandmother, Granna!! These two ladies were the epitome of a Southern Lady, and anyone would be proud to be told that they were like them. Both ladies could quote scripture at any time and lived strictly by Biblical principals, yet they were modest, and not at all 'holier than thou', as many Christians these days tend to be with people who believe differently than they might think is the 'correct' way to believe. We could all use a lesson in how to behave and live from these ladies, along with a dose of reality about religious beliefs and tolerance of others. Granna, WeeWee, and Bubba were three of a generation that no longer exists. They were all wonderful people, and we who have come from them are to be honored that we are their descendents.
As is the custom, we went to the cemetery to visit our Granna's grave. Although she lived in Savannah all of her adult life, Granna wanted to be buried among her relatives in Sylvania. She is in the Morel section, right next to the two 'old maid aunts' who raised her. My Granna was a single mom, when single moms were definitely NOT the norm. She raised my Mamma and Aunt by herself, and she did a great job, too. I often think that she was probably ostracized by some, because she was a single parent, but she did her best and kept on going. Like I said, she was a fiesty lady, but a true Southern Lady at all times. I remember that she always wore a little black hat with a little piece of lace , and usually a bow. Not many people nowadays wear hats. Granna always had a petite little black hat to wear, when going out. She was a wonderful seamstress, and she made all of my clothes when I was a child. She even made clothes for my Barbie dolls!! Now, THAT is some fine stitching...tiny little clothes made perfectly. Granna would take a newspaper, lay it out on the table, and draw a pattern on it!! She made her own patterns! She could sew anything.
The story of the old maid aunts....My Granna's mother apparently left her three children with their father, my great-grandfather Morel, but he could not take care of the children. So, his two sisters raised the children. These two ladies had lived through the civil war, and they were NOT fond of men at all. They told my Granna and my mamma stories of how Sherman's men marched their horses THROUGH their house!! I am sure that was a scary thing. As we were talking about them at the cemetery yesterday, we began to wonder if the Yankee soldiers did some unspeakable things to these two young ladies. If so, that would certainly shed some light onto their demeaner towards men, why they never married, and why they lived alone together as they did. I would not like to think that anything like that happened, but we all know that some terrible things were done during that war. The ladies most certainly did NOT want my Granna or my WeeWee to marry. They did not want them around men at all. But, both ladies did marry and have children. My grandfather apparently left the family, thus leaving my Granna to be a single parent. My great aunt's husband stayed with the family, but I think their life together was rather hard, but it presented eight children into our world. The days of old were not really spoken about. Things were always kept quiet and secret, so it is really hard to know the truth or the real stories of how some events took place. With today's world of everything being publicized and brought out into the open, it is difficult to understand the softspoken, hidden ways of the past. I am truly proud to be a descendent of these proper ladies, and I am very happy to have inherited their quiet ways. I have never been one to be loud and abrasive, and most of my family is quiet natured and often shy. The Bible talks about not being boastful and proud, and I believe that our ancestors led their lives by Biblical teachings. They not only read about God's word; they lived God's word. They didn't go around preaching and hammering the word around to others; they simply lived God's word and spread it by example. I believe that is the way to go, the way to be, the way to reach people, rather than trying to stomp your beliefs into everyone's head and lives. When you think about it, the people who are modest and simply live the right kind of life...they are the ones that people actually admire and remember fondly. I think it is the same with teachers. Being a teacher myself, I find it most rewarding to know that a child really likes coming to my class and remembers me fondly when they grow up. I have many former students who come up to me in stores and places and smile really big when they see me. I try to treat the children kindly and with respect, rather than sternly and with meanness. They respond to kindness much better than ugliness.
Well, I didn't mean to get on a soapbox today, but I guess I kind of did! I am proud of my Southern heritage, my Southern ladies from whom I have gained insight, and my quiet, gentle ways in which I was brought up in this world. Amen!!
As is the custom, we went to the cemetery to visit our Granna's grave. Although she lived in Savannah all of her adult life, Granna wanted to be buried among her relatives in Sylvania. She is in the Morel section, right next to the two 'old maid aunts' who raised her. My Granna was a single mom, when single moms were definitely NOT the norm. She raised my Mamma and Aunt by herself, and she did a great job, too. I often think that she was probably ostracized by some, because she was a single parent, but she did her best and kept on going. Like I said, she was a fiesty lady, but a true Southern Lady at all times. I remember that she always wore a little black hat with a little piece of lace , and usually a bow. Not many people nowadays wear hats. Granna always had a petite little black hat to wear, when going out. She was a wonderful seamstress, and she made all of my clothes when I was a child. She even made clothes for my Barbie dolls!! Now, THAT is some fine stitching...tiny little clothes made perfectly. Granna would take a newspaper, lay it out on the table, and draw a pattern on it!! She made her own patterns! She could sew anything.
The story of the old maid aunts....My Granna's mother apparently left her three children with their father, my great-grandfather Morel, but he could not take care of the children. So, his two sisters raised the children. These two ladies had lived through the civil war, and they were NOT fond of men at all. They told my Granna and my mamma stories of how Sherman's men marched their horses THROUGH their house!! I am sure that was a scary thing. As we were talking about them at the cemetery yesterday, we began to wonder if the Yankee soldiers did some unspeakable things to these two young ladies. If so, that would certainly shed some light onto their demeaner towards men, why they never married, and why they lived alone together as they did. I would not like to think that anything like that happened, but we all know that some terrible things were done during that war. The ladies most certainly did NOT want my Granna or my WeeWee to marry. They did not want them around men at all. But, both ladies did marry and have children. My grandfather apparently left the family, thus leaving my Granna to be a single parent. My great aunt's husband stayed with the family, but I think their life together was rather hard, but it presented eight children into our world. The days of old were not really spoken about. Things were always kept quiet and secret, so it is really hard to know the truth or the real stories of how some events took place. With today's world of everything being publicized and brought out into the open, it is difficult to understand the softspoken, hidden ways of the past. I am truly proud to be a descendent of these proper ladies, and I am very happy to have inherited their quiet ways. I have never been one to be loud and abrasive, and most of my family is quiet natured and often shy. The Bible talks about not being boastful and proud, and I believe that our ancestors led their lives by Biblical teachings. They not only read about God's word; they lived God's word. They didn't go around preaching and hammering the word around to others; they simply lived God's word and spread it by example. I believe that is the way to go, the way to be, the way to reach people, rather than trying to stomp your beliefs into everyone's head and lives. When you think about it, the people who are modest and simply live the right kind of life...they are the ones that people actually admire and remember fondly. I think it is the same with teachers. Being a teacher myself, I find it most rewarding to know that a child really likes coming to my class and remembers me fondly when they grow up. I have many former students who come up to me in stores and places and smile really big when they see me. I try to treat the children kindly and with respect, rather than sternly and with meanness. They respond to kindness much better than ugliness.
Well, I didn't mean to get on a soapbox today, but I guess I kind of did! I am proud of my Southern heritage, my Southern ladies from whom I have gained insight, and my quiet, gentle ways in which I was brought up in this world. Amen!!
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