In Memory of Mammaw

A very special little lady died last week.  My Mammaw.  Growing up we didn't get to see my Mammaw and Pappaw very often.  Maybe once a year.  After becoming an adult and moving to Tennessee is when I began spending more time with them.  Mammaw was crippled from Rheumatoid arthritis my whole life.  I remember when she walked on her own and how she would wring out the dishcloth by pushing it on the side of the sink.  As a child I was fascinated by her crooked toes and fingers.  Since I've known her she's gotten progressively shorter and more crippled over the years.  As much as her crippled body held her back, she loved life and did as much as she could by herself.  When she could no longer cook by herself, she would let Pappaw know exactly what she wanted to eat.  And man was she a picky eater!  She had a dry wit that matched Pappaw's silly boisterous humor.  She always cried when we would leave after a visit.  Her prayers were quiet and fervent and usually tearful.  She would get on to Pappaw in her scratchy little voice for eating too much and for spending too much time on the computer.  But they loved each other and still slept in the same bed even after Pappaw gave her a black eye one night.  He is a loud and active dreamer.  Mammaw always said that's how she found out what Pappaw was thinking about.  She'd listen to him talk and preach and yell in his sleep.  She said that when he got too rowdy she'd just scootch to the edge of the bed to get away from him.  Some of my sweetest memories with Mammaw are from 2010 when I went to stay with them for about 3 weeks after she had a fall.  We talked a lot about her life and her memories.  I'm thankful for Mammaw's life.  I'm thankful for Pappaw and how he cared for her so many years.  I'm thankful for the friends that live near them that have cared for and loved them so well.  I'm going to miss my Mammaw.