A Walk Down Memory Lane

As you know, August 29th is a very hard day for my family and myself. If you have followed my blog and read my first post, you know this day brings about so many emotions. The strongest of which is just sadness. My grandparents and my uncle were my world. The amount time I spent with them on a weekly basis was huge to me. I wanted to share some of my fondest memories of them with you.

I remember walking in the door of my grandparents home and seeing my Papa sitting in the kitchen eating his eggs and toast with some Karo syrup. I remember running in to give my Nanny Honey a huge hug and a kiss and sitting on the arm of her chair just chatting. I vividly recall the many Christmas Eve nights the whole family would gather there and open presents and enjoy our time together. I remember the collection of plates that lined the top part of the walls of my Nanny’s kitchen. She loved collecting things from her many travels. I also remember my Nanny taking me to Washington D.C. with her as she had a podiatry conference she was attending. I had so much fun seeing the sights with her and just soaking up my special time with just she and I. That was one of the last memories I have of her. I fondly remember going into my grandparents home as a little girl and my sisters and I pulling out all of my Nanny’s old pots and pans and taking them outside to make mud pies. I remember watching my Papa work his fingers to the bone on the farm. How he took so much pride in taking care of his cows and his land. He also had an amazing garden and made the BEST homemade pickles. And, boy could he make a mean bread pudding! Aren’t they just the cutest?

And then there was my Uncle Bobby. He was the best uncle around in my eyes. He was strong and so funny. He was a police officer and I remember thinking that was the most amazing job ever! He would show up in his uniform to dinner at my grandparents from time to time and I just thought that was the coolest! He loved his job and he was a great brother to my mom. He loved her and was very protective of her. He was a hard worker and took great pride in his job. I remember many fun times of riding 4-wheelers all over his land (and, of course, the occasional wreck or two). My Uncle Bobby was very adventurous and we all loved that about him.

These are just a few of the million memories that go through my head on a regular basis. I know writing these out helps me heal and I thank you all for allowing me this space to share them with you.

In all the sadness that surrounds that day, I choose to think of all the wonderful memories we made as a family. I am daily reminded of the blessings I have and making the choice to be happy is huge for me. We are never guaranteed tomorrow my sweet friends, so let’s love hard and laugh harder. Let’s be someone that  people admire and strive to be. God gives us so much beauty in each day so let’s soak it up!