Come on Put on those Shoes

Let me get my shoes on was my grandmother. Every time you called to asked her to go somewhere she always had the same quick reply and the standard answer “just give time to get my shoes on”. She lived a wonderful life filled with adoring grandchildren and great grandchildren and put her last pair of shoes on at the age of 99. She was destined we all thought to reach the 100 mark, you know, where Willard Scott has their picture on the Smucker’s Jelly Jar and comments on each one as a form of honor. I think if she would have had that privilege I would have told about her shoes. It always struck me how fragile she seemed at times, yet, out she would come with her red high heels. Now, they were not very high but none the less I have forever taken that style from my wardrobe but she never seemed phased by walking anywhere with those shoes.

My grandmother was a preacher’s wife and I used to love going to her house to stay when I was a child. It was a place to use your imagination. Upstairs in the parsonage was a little door with bags of donated clothes. Several times I would go up there, pull out a bag and try things on, including the hats. In that very moment I was the preacher’s wife and the lady of the house. Evangelists used to stay at the home of the pastor and when they would come for a revival my grandmother would cook a big meal with tapioca pudding. I remember because I thought that it looked a lot like a bowl of bubbles. Mmmm, it was awfully good. But the very best part of the day was setting the table. That was my job and there was never a comment about how I did only nice words that praised my effort. They thought I was quite the granddaughter they let me roam the house sit and talk but most of all they made me feel that I was home. I loved to go in after school, go to the refrigerator and peek around to my grandpa and say “hi, Pa”, and continue my search for something to eat and if my grandfather were alive today he would tell you I should stop that mad dash to the fridge cause I am very “fleshy”. He was a tell it like it is person, if you preach you have to be honest.

The one thing that my grandmother did to make my arrival special from time to time was make me a big cup of Ovaltean she would put canned milk along with regular milk to give it a special taste and if I were lucky there would be a few marshmallows floating on top. As my grandmother got older it was fascinating to watch her evolve. One night sitting with her she told me how she never quite agreed with my Grandpa’s preaching on what you should wear but always respected him to dress accordingly. Then she went on to talk about the TV she didn’t really care for it but boy did she get upset with Marsha Clark during the OJ trial. When she went to the nursing home she would not use it because she was afraid it would disturb the other patients. She was lots of fun, she loved to play checkers, could recite the states and then recite the alphabet backwards. She was one special lady. I bought her a large print Bible and she read all the way through then stuck it in her purse and gave it back. I have high blood pressure and of course she had taken garlic tablets for years for her blood pressure. One Sunday we were sitting together in church and she digs in her purse and pulls out a bottle wrapped up in a bread bag and, you got it, there was a big jar of garlic pills. She whispered to me to put them in my purse and take them. One funny thing that stood out to me was my uncle’s grandson had red hair and he didn’t like it so she told him to bleach it like the girls do. I just looked at her like she grew two heads. 90 some years and she was promoting bleach. She had a competitive spirit and a wonderful sense of humor. She listened when you talked.


Although it has been a few years since she has been gone her memory will come up in conversation when we send balloons to the sky to share with her. Or Sam will comment on missing Great Grammy. We chat about her tea and how we thought she had a secret recipe and all the time is was a jar of Nestle instant tea. We treasured that gallon jug when she made it for us to take home. One time she made her own soap out of lye. She made me a bar to use to do my laundry. At the time I thought “ I am so sure I am going to go home and shave that into my washer”. One time I came in and she had painted this metal frame and had her flower pots in it then on closer inspection I saw it had once been a rack for the grave sites. Ugh. She made me pot holders to take home. She had crocheted the outer part and then told me the inside was made from the lint in her dryer. Nothing was wasted and every thing had a dual purpose. The people preaching Green today should have met my grandmother. I suppose that now that I have reached the grand ole age of 60 I am trying to think of things my grandchildren and I can do that they can write about later. Well, that will take more time than a few hours. Mostly they will probably tell you that my fire alarm beeps until their dad can come and change the battery. Or that we eat out more than in. Well, you get the picture. I guess the moral of my story is I am really lucky to have had this wonderful heritage of family and I really hope as a family we pass it on.