My beloved "Mama"

This past New Years Eve, I lost the only grandmother that I have ever really known. My father's mother died when I was in second grade so I don't really remember her. My "Mama" was incredible and she and I were extremely close. The last few years of her life were spent in bed, not knowing who we were, but we never forgot who she was. Since I am the oldest grandchild, I was given the responsibility of of representing the family with some words about her. This was very hard to do, but I made it through. Even though, none of you knew her , I wanted to share with you the words that I shared at her funeral. She was truly an example for us all and I want the world to know this. I love you Mama and I hope to see you again one day...........


Today has truly been a long time coming. 99 years to be exact...and while we were thinking that Mama could make it to 100, the Lord had other plans. He must have felt that he had too few angels that could critique Tiger Wood’s swing and make the best homemade bread in the world all at the same time. While we all have our own fond memories of Mama (I call her Mama, some called her Mother, some called her Nana and some called her Mrs. Goodwin), the one thing that we all have in common is that we were loved unconditionally by her. Mama loved us all with her whole heart and soul and we never wondered how she felt about us. Not only would she tell us how she felt about us, she showed us all in so many ways. Mama was a shining example of how we all should love each other...Unconditionally. One of the proudest parts of Mama’s life was her family. If you looked up the definition of “perfect grandmother” or “perfect mother” in the dictionary, there would most likely be a picture of Mama. Whether it was talking about “girly stuff” with Martha Hunter, Molly, or Camp or talking sports with Hunter, Matthew, Peter or me...Mama could do it all without missing a step. She was always eager to hear about what was going on in our lives and we always knew that if we were having a hard time with anything, we could always talk to Mama. If we were sad, she would wrap her arms around us and tell us that everything would be fine and would always give us guidance. The other thing that we all knew was that if we were acting up, we need an extra 3 feet of running room to get away from the yard stick that Mama kept around for such an occasion. For some of us, this was never an issue, but for the rest of us, we made sure to wear our “fast shoes” when we stayed with Mama! Honestly though, Mama adored us all and we always looked forward to seeing her. She was also so proud of her children Bill and Patricia. She was always eager to tell everyone of her children’s accomplishments and about how proud she was of them. More than telling how proud she was, she showed how proud she was. She would light up when her family was together for holidays and special occasions and was always eager to hear about everything that was going on in our lives. Lastly, Mama adored her husband. Mama & Pop were the perfect example of how a married couple should be. We should all aspire to live by their example. They complimented each other and were each other’s other half. They were each 50% of a perfect 100% equation. They cared for each other so deeply that when Pop went to be with the Lord, Mama felt as if she lost half of herself. Sure, she stilled loved us all the same, but she has always been longing for the love her life. Well, Mama is complete again. She is with Pop walking through heaven, looking down on us all, and loving us in the same unconditional fashion that we have known for so many years.

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