One of the Most Important People in my Life

           I never realized when I met her that she would become one of the most important people of my life.  In fact, she seemed to think of herself as a behind the scenes kind of person and wouldn't mind if someone didn't thank her.  I have never met anyone so caring, generous, loving and independent as she was.  She made such an indelible impression on my life that I could never even forget what she looked like and she's been gone for over 10 years.

     When I married my husband, I knew that I would be getting a lot of in-laws that had low opinions of me and I was right.  One person reserved their opinion until they got to know me, my husband's grandmother, Nanny.  She welcomed me to the family and sat me down so that we could have a conversation.  That one conversation ended up being continued everyday.  We never got tired of each other's company.  She was a fascinating woman.  Her family traveled in a buckboard wagon from Tennessee to Texas.  She had lived through the depression and race discrimination.  I got quite a history lesson just from listening to her.  She had so many stories from her childhood that were quite amazing to me.  

     When I got pregnant with my daughter, she was there for me, even more than my own mother.  Everyday she gave me comfort and helped me look to the future with a brighter look.  She told me how they had babies in her day.  They would have them at home with a mid-wife and they would put ether on a rag and hold it over their nose.  There wasn't an episiotomy, so they tore.  I was so glad that I was not going to go through that.  We have come a long way, baby.

     I remember the first time she introduced me to one of her friends, she said I was her granddaughter.  Even now it makes me cry because we were that close.  You wouldn't think that we would be.  I couldn't believe she called me her granddaughter.  I was so proud and I took my cues from her and began introducing her as my grandmother.  It was a privilege.  One time my husband, being newlyweds, had a fight and I was so ticked because he got to Nanny before I did and I assumed that she would be on his side.  I was wrong, later I found out that she told him to apologize to me because he was in the wrong.  She was a very special lady and I miss her so much.  Sometimes, I feel like she's all around me trying to comfort me whenever I get down.  My husband recognizes the fact that we were extremely close even though no one else in his family does and that's all that matters to me.  I knew how Nanny felt and no one can take that away from me.