MINUTES WITH MANAW

Dear Mama –

I never told you “thank you” much.

Definitely not enough.

Thank you for being my chauffeur. Thank you for forcing me to stick with piano for at least a year. Thank you for sending me to Charm School at Gallant Belks with Mrs. Willingham. Up the dreaded wooden stairs…  Even though I really did not like to be there, I can still set a pretty mean table and walk with a book on my head.

For waiting on me in parking lots and carpool lines and outside friends’ houses. After ballgames. After band practice. Late nights after ‘Socials’ at St. John’s. After girls’ ensemble practice and handbells, too!

For rearranging your schedule because I needed to be dropped off or picked up.

I can still see you in the driver’s seat at 6:20 AM.

You’d be worrying about your students waiting for buses, think about them getting breakfast, even when the Gold Dodge Monaco’s heat just wasn’t really heating things up for us. I think that was the battle tank car that you were driving when we hit the cow in the road out near the jockey lot!!

I remember a couple of Thanksgivings and Christmases when you loaded that giant trunk up with paper grocery bags full of meals for your students. I remember you saying, “Unto whom much is given, much is required.”  You taught us the truth in that.  I will never forget that truth.

When our boys used to finally go to sleep on Christmas Eves in years past – Keith and I went into Santa mode, I couldn’t help but think of you, mama. You, too, waited on me to fall asleep.

Then you carefully wrapped the pink striped Slippers and the Rainbow Brite and the ‘Bonne Belle’ perfume and Dating Game Show board game.  One time I even remember you left a note from Santa on the mantle telling me that I had been a great girl that year….

I’d bet Big Buddy ate the cookies and drank the milk. You stepped back to look at the hard work and daddy loaded the Insurance Photos Polaroid for the next morning’s excitement.  Daddy helped you a lot here and there, but it was your show.

The next morning, you gasped with ‘surprised’ excitement right along with me and covered my fat little girl cheeks in the best ever kisses. You went to work finalizing 25 dozen tea-time tassies for neighborhood delivery, breakfast casseroles, humming, and playing Christmas carols on the piano.  OH! And the beautiful soprano singing ringing out about the birth of Christ with total commitment and sincerity in almost every Candlelight Christmas Eve service at First Baptist Church, Anderson.   I can guarantee you that every one of your children have never forgotten that Christmas is about Jesus instead of Santa. Because you made it about Jesus and your commitment to give to others and do for others!

You always made every Christmas so special- you made everything so special- and you’ve filled my entire life with memories that I’ll forever hold dear.

As we gather at our own Christmas tables every year, while we feast on some of your recipes that won’t be as good as if they were made with your hands… we will always have memories flowing through our heads of amazing food, fun, family and precious fellowship. We will share memories of Christmas as long ago at Mimi‘s house and December Christmas Day evening trips to Nonnie‘s house for ‘stickies’ and a week-long stay to visit with all of the NC Walkers.

(I remember praying for snow the whole way up there!)

Oh how I loved to hear you play that baby grand. I remember lying on the white carpet under the big piano when you played the ‘Ben Hur Chariot Race’ and the excitement built up to a tremendous crescendo!!  What a treasured time for me to hold in my heart now as I am so thankful that you have been fully healed and you are home!

You fed us. You fed our friends.  You fed people we didn’t even know.  You worried the food wasn’t warm enough, you fixed our tea, you got up from the table 15 times to offer everyone seconds.

You told funny stories about your school kids that made us choke on mashed potatoes.  You baked a huge pan of green beans that were so tender and tasty!  You even ‘shushed the bacon’ on occasion after a long day with noisy children. 

I remember asking you one Valentine’s Day eve for extra construction paper hearts and candy bars for my class.  You were in the blue dining room taping the hearts on candy bars for your students. Without hesitating, you said, “Let’s go!” We got in that big old Dodge Monaco. We went to Kmart or probably Roses way back then. You bought enough Hershey Bars for my whole class.

You dropped everything and jumped in the car or called daddy to get me when you heard me calling from the school nurse’s phone asking you to pick me up. You took me to the store for project supplies at 9 PM.

You didn’t complain when handbells/tennis/band ran late and supper got cold on the stove while you sat in front of the church/school waiting on me while grading your papers. You hauled me all over the big A-town. 

Most important though you made sure to get us ‘in the ark’! You made sure we knew Jesus. Not in your words so much as in your life.  That’s really the biggest thing.

Oftentimes dragging me around because the boys had something going on. You took time to talk to me while you were dragging me. And you listened to me. I know you don’t think you did. But I also know you really did listen. Teaching me that waiting on them was just taking turns. Teaching me that I wasn’t the only kid in the world but making me always feel like I was. Making sure I knew that we had more than most and needed to be grateful. And generous. Not just at Christmas. But every single day. If a person needed anything you or daddy could provide… you did it! Even a ride to the ER with a bleeding hand for mine and Julia Canupp’s favorite garbage man.

^{OH! And thank you for dragging me – every time the doors were open at First Baptist Church, Anderson !!!}

Every day. Several places. Everywhere.  All year long. When you were sick or overworked or overwhelmed or tired- you spent most of your time in that driver’s seat.

As I sit here missing chauffeuring my boys, missing the waiting on my own boys, I realized I never once really told you loud enough or often enough…   “thank you.”

This year I’m so happy and joyously shouting His praises — for you to get your very first HEAVENLY CHRISTMAS WITH JESUS!! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN!

So.  Thank you. ❤️ I love you.  I will see you soon.

Your Sunshine, Pooh-Diddly, and most recently… your HUNNY—POOH