Our Beloved Nanny on Mother’s Day

In honor of Nanny, I  wore one of her dresses, In honor of my Granny, I wore a wig. 

                                                         

Today is difficult for most in our family, especially the children of my late Nanny. I wanted to share a special blog that I have said I would do for a while.  A lot of it I said at the funeral but wanted to share it today.

                     Nanny, called Wayna Mae by some, was born in the mountains of North Carolina. I think that it is important to note what it was like when she grew up and what her life was like because there are so few people that we personally know left from this generation. As we all know, Nanny’s mother, Coleta passed away when she was three years old, and Nanny only met her father a few times in her life. Nanny was raised by her grandparents, Inez and Hector Jenkins.  I always admired Nanny for her attitude of forgiveness towards her father and her gratefulness for the family that she had. Nanny wrote in a journal that we worked on that she grew up with no electricity and had no running water, most of us have forgotten what it’s like to really go  camping let alone turn off our cellphones. She said that it was really cold in their house in the winter but she shared a bed with all her sisters so they managed to stay warm.

                    I can’t count how many times we have all heard Nanny say “ it doesn't matter who gives birth to you, a mother is someone who raises you and takes care of you.”  She knew that better than anyone. Family has always been very important to Nanny and this is how she was raised. I love hearing the stories of all the kids cleaning up after dinner. Nanny said that some would be washing dishes, someone would play the guitar, and everyone would be singing. Nanny and her siblings, who are mostly her aunts and uncles but considers her a sister, worked very hard along side their parents, tending to the garden and taking care of the animals. The only thing they had to buy was flour and sugar, and the occasional treat from the general store across the street. They didn’t just work though, they had a lot of fun.

              Nanny wrote about sledding down the hills on tobacco sleds, you’ll have to google that one, playing football, playing music, and visiting with friends. Nanny’s favorite sport to play was basketball and she was on the team throughout her school years. Church and God were an important part to Nanny’s family growing up as well as hard work, discipline, and self control. Something I love about Nanny is how much she loves everyone and wants to help anyone in need. Nanny remembered birthdays, but wouldn’t wait till then to give you a call and tell you that she loved you and that she was proud of you. Nanny always seemed to see the best in people and always hoped for the best.  I feel that if Nanny was able to tell us a few things right now they would include these things: don’t be afraid of hard work, most things worthwhile do not come easy, don’t start smoking and if you do, quit before what happened to me, happens to you, stay away from too much alcohol, you know that runs in our family and can ruin your life, be thankful for your life and where you are at in it, look for the good in every situation, love your family, hold them close, forgive,  pick up the phone, go out of your way to stay connected to extended family because family is important. Family is more important than a T.V. program, a job we are too busy with, or the little things that keep us so busy. At the end of our lives we will never say  “ I should have caught that episode, or been a better employee."  And most of all, Love the Lord and seek after him.  These last few years have been rough for Nanny and for those of us or watched her slowly become less herself. I think that the whole family agrees with me in thanking my mom and dad for everything they have done for Nanny these past few years.

                   Lets try to remember Nanny’s laugh, her banana pudding, her singing “hit the road jack”, and smiling and saying “Whew” when a grandchild did something cute, the trips to North Carolina, the crazy loud Christmas’s,  us grandchildren always being able to visit at anytime and have a bed, love, and  be able to be ourselves. I think that Nanny loves all of us very much and although she will be missed, I’m glad that she is no longer in pain. Nanny and I talked about this before, and she said that she believed that Jesus was her savior and that she would be joining him in heaven one day.  I believe that her and Papa Jack are together with Jesus now and they are pain free and happy. I know that I will see them again, and I hope to see you there also.

WE LOVE YOU NANNY AND MISS YOU. TIME IS NOTHING, WE WILL BE TOGETHER SOON.

1.    
     Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

o    Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

2.    Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

3.    Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.