My younger son and his precious family arrived on Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving in the midst of falling snow and a cold, cold wind. I had not seen them for six long months and I was literally “bananas” waiting to grab my beautiful little granddaughters in my arms. I was afraid my 15 month old granddaughter would not remember me (though we’ve talked on FaceTime). I held her in my arms and she sweetly studied my face. I smiled at her and said “it’s Grandmommy!” and she gave me an enormous smile which reached those beautiful blue eyes! Needless to say, my heart melted. I knelt down to embrace three year old granddaughter and planted kisses on her cheeks and sweet little head. I kept saying “I’ve missed you so, so much!” and she said “I missed you too, Grandmommy!” Again, my heart melted!
Thanksgiving at my daughter’s home was a wonderful time with two of my children, two of my other children (my son-in-love and daughter-in-love), six out of nine of my grandchildren, Doug and his sweet 95-year-old Mom and two granddogs, Kiana & Bernie! There was a lot of laughter and a lot of really good food! My daughter had purchased a 26 pound fresh turkey from a local farmer. She brined it overnight before cooking it and the result was a moist, delicious turkey. She prepared all the wonderful side dishes and three different pies which were excellent. My daughter-in-love put together the large vegetable tray and made one of my favorites – a spinach-artichoke-garlic dip served with pita chips. Delicious! With Doug’s help, I made a cheese ball and baked dozens of different cookies the day before Thanksgiving because I knew once my little granddaughters arrived, I would just be playing! Which I did!
A happy, blessed grandmother…
My daughter falling in love with her baby brother’s baby…
Doug and Mary, his sweet 95-year-old Mom, enjoying Thanksgiving with my family…
No better place to be than in the floor playing with my grandchildren!
In the midst of all the excitement and joy of being together, I had to pause and reflect for just a moment.
Today is Veterans Day. Here in this United States of America, we have FREEDOM because it has been purchased for us – over and over and over again – by those who have defended that freedom for you and me. Many have come home with life-changing injuries and scars – some visible, some not. Many have paid the ultimate sacrifice and given their very lives.
The bitter lines of politics sadly divide this country, but still the fight relentlessly goes on for our freedom. They are on battlefields across the world…representing you and me in the different uniforms of our country. I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve been in airports across this country and have seen a young man or woman in uniform. As a mother of young adults and a grandmother, I feel comfortable and privileged to give them a warm hello and often a big hug…and I’ve been known to do just that.
A friend of mine was a photographer during the war in VietNam…armed with a camera. He has written a powerful and moving piece on his time stationed there in Vietnam, along with his two brothers. I can only imagine what his parents felt knowing their three sons were living each day in harm’s way. You can read his beautifully written blog post here: To my brothers in arms…literally.
If you know a VETERAN or a brave young person in uniform today, call them…write them…send them a package…tell them you love them, but most of all tell them THANK YOU! Be sure to support and thank the families who are left behind as well!
By all means, put your hand over your heart and give a big salute when you say the Pledge of Allegiance – and mean it – because freedom isn’t now…and never has been…free!
This has been a week for loss and sad news. My precious daughter-in-love’s dear mom lost her battle with Parkinson’s and went to be with the Lord a few days ago. A precious Christian, Joan loved the Lord with all her heart. She went to sleep on this earth and woke up in Heaven. What a blessed way for a Christian to leave this life on earth! Please remember my son and Jeanine and their family as they make the long journey from Montana to East Tennessee to say goodbye. My heart goes with them…
My precious sister Gerry has now been in Heaven for three years. I have missed her more than words could say every single day. Her husband of 65+ years and the love of her life has missed her even more. He is lost without her. He is now in a coma with his children at his bedside…waiting to go home to be with the Lord and his beloved. He is a strong believer and has sung in the choir for many years. Just as I imagine my sister Gerry is cooking heavenly biscuits while she sings praises to the Lord, I imagine my brother by marriage will be singing in Heaven’s choir…and once again strumming his guitar.
Gerry and Sonny…at “the house on the hill” in the 1980’s. She would fuss at me for posting this pic since she is wearing her 80’s “big hair”! Nah, she’d probably just laugh with that wonderful laugh of hers!
My last year of nursing was spent as in Oncology, and on the walls of the unit there hung this beautiful poem below. This is how I imagine death and dying…and I have seen several leave this earth during my long nursing career. Hallelujah, our souls never die! Thank God, He has made provision for us to spend eternity with Him through His Son!
The Sailing Ship
What is dying?
I am standing on the seashore.
A ship sails to the morning breeze and starts for the ocean.
She is an object and I stand watching her
Till at last she fades from the horizon,
And someone at my side says, “She is gone!” Gone where?
Gone from my sight, that is all;
She is just as large in the masts, hull and spars as she was when I saw her,
And just as able to bear her load of living freight to its destination.
The diminished size and total loss of sight is in me, not in her;
And just at the moment when someone at my side says, “She is gone”,
There are others who are watching her coming,
And other voices take up a glad shout,
“There she comes” – and that is dying.
Bishop Charles Henry Brent (1862-1929)
UPDATE: Wednesday, October 22nd. Sonny passed away peacefully last night at 11:47 p.m. with his and Gerry’s family by his bedside. There may be sadness on earth, but there is rejoicing in Heaven as he joins my sister Gerry and the rest of those who have gone before. What a wonderful, blessed hope we have in Jesus!
If you’ve been reading my blogs for any length of time at all, then you know I’m Southern. I was born in the Delta of Mississippi and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. My roots are there. I fell in love and got married there many years ago. My children were born there. I have a long list of family and friends there. And, yes, I still have a Southern accent…
It was the first day of October and a Wednesday I’d been looking forward to. I was flying home to the South. It had been three long years since I had flown into Memphis…and that had been on the sad occasion of my beloved sister Gerry’s funeral after she had lost her courageous battle with ALS. As the plane circled and descended into Memphis, I picked out a few familiar landmarks: the winding Mississippi River, the Memphis-Arkansas bridge, the “Pyramid” and LeBonheur Children’s Hospital. Soon the plane was landing.
Memphis skyline from the air. (Wikipedia)
Penny and Mike picked me up at the airport and we headed back to their home. They were headed south to Gulf Shores the following morning for a few days, so this gave us some time together until the following week. Penny fixed a delicious meal (including one of my favorites – Southern Fried Okra!) and we enjoyed time together before they drove me 45 minutes out to Sharon and Tommy’s home. I call Sharon “my baby niece” but she’s actually only two and a half years younger than I. She is my beloved late sister Dot’s only child. After the death of her father when she was four months old, we all lived together and Sharon and I grew up like sisters.
I had flown with painful “fluid behind my eardrums” diagnosed by my doctor on Monday and once I arrived in Memphis, it proceeded to get much worse. Unfortunately, I was sick! My long-time Memphis allergies had hit with a vengeance. Sadly, I missed my dinner with my dear friends from Lakeside Hospital where I had worked as a Registered Nurse with emotionally disturbed children for ten years. I hope to make it up to them in the Spring! Sharon took me to her doctor on Thursday where I got a shot and a CBC which verified it was allergies. I was a sick puppy nonetheless. The shot was a big boost and I felt much better the next day. Sharon and I made it to the luncheon at Grisanti’s with my high school friends I had not seen in so many years! It was wonderful to see everyone and, somehow, the years just melted away.
Below: My KHS buddy David and I. David is the youngest member of our graduating class and I am the next-to-the-youngest member! We had not seen each other for 51 years!! He is the same wonderful guy as always. He has a PhD and is a well-loved professor at a local university!
Below: Kathy is my best friend since the ninth-grade at KHS and I’m amazed to say that’s 55 years! She is as beautiful as ever! We see each other after any length of time and just pick right up where we left off. We had a “sleep-over” one night during my visit and her sweet husband patiently put up with us pretending we were sixteen all over again. We had the 60’s music playing in the background and reminiscing over days gone by. Before we knew it, it was 1:00 a.m.! Her sweet husband Bill treated us to a delicious dinner at Houston’s, a Memphis landmark for the past 31 years. I enjoyed meeting one of their three sons, a very handsome young man. I also introduced her and her sweet grandson and granddaughter to ancestry.com and we began a search for their family tree. Her grandchildren thought that was cool and will be a big help with it!
Below: I was so happy to see my cousin, Joy, and fellow KHS graduate at the luncheon as well (although she’s 6 years younger than I). You can tell by looking at us that we come from the same strong McGregor stock! Her grandmother was my father’s sister and one of my favorite aunts! We took one look at one another and marveled at how much we favored one another!
I loved my time with Sharon and Tommy. Sharon is a wonderful cook and made several terrific Southern meals – including delicious homemade meatloaf, her amazing mashed potatoes, Southern vegetables and hot cornbread. Another night she made delicious homemade chicken noodle soup and salad. I was getting a bit spoiled!
The following Tuesday, we headed to the “hills” of Mississippi for a visit with my precious sister Eunice and her dear husband Eddie. We had so much fun with them! They live on 5 beautiful, treed acres with a barn and a beautiful horse named Cherokee. Eddie is the “horse whisperer” and can make a horse do anything! Unfortunately, since his hip replacement, he can no longer ride but still enjoys Cherokee. Eunice is a great Southern cook and made a delicious dinner of pork chops, mashed potatoes, squash, green beans and hot cornbread. Sharon made the dessert which was one of my favorites – banana pudding. Another day, Eddie took us all out to dinner for another Southern feast. They have a wide front porch all the way across the front of their home and each morning would find us out there sitting in the rockers or porch swing, enjoying our coffee and visiting. Eddie recently turned 83 but doesn’t look a day over 70 and gets told all the time that he looks like George W. Bush!
While we were there, we all drove to Pontotoc, Mississippi, to visit the cemetery where my parents, grandparents and other ancestors are born. The old white church has been taken down but, other than that, it looks the same. I took photos of a lot of the tombstones to use with my family history research. After the Guinn Cemetery, we drove over to the Springville Cemetery where my maternal grandparents and other maternal ancestors are born. Again, I took photos for the family history book I intend to finish when I’m snowbound this Iowa winter!
Below: my beautiful sister Eunice at Guinn Cemetery. She is 11 years older than I am. We are the remaining two of the four McGregor daughters. I promised her I would be back in the Spring. We cannot wait so long to see each other again!
We left Pontotoc and headed for New Albany, Mississippi, where we visited their very neat town square…complete with several quaint antique shops and my favorite bakery: Sugaree’s! I can’t begin to describe how delicious everything they bake is! We bought one slice of their amazing white cake with homemade caramel frosting and two chocolate cupcakes to share four ways! I would love to have bought the whole caramel cake! They ship frozen by the way, so check it out. It’s unbelievable!
On Thursday afternoon, we said a sad goodbye to Eunice and Eddie and headed north to visit my niece Cindy. We ate dinner out together that night at McAlister’s (although I skipped my favorite sweet tea since it was so late!) and enjoyed our visit and laughter. Cindy teaches music history at the local college and could easily have been a concert pianist. She entertained us later with a few numbers which I loved. I videotaped it but I’m under strict instructions not to share it! But I will say she’s amazing!
Below: Cindy, Sharon and I attempted a “selfie” with my iPad (an iPad photo isn’t too flattering) but I think it turned out cute!
On Friday, we drove over to Greenwood, Mississippi, to eat lunch at the Crystal Grill. I had a Southern vegetable plate with cornbread muffins and a slice of their famous chocolate pie with mile-high-meringue! It was so good! After lunch, we trekked around downtown in the rain, enjoying the well-known Mississippi shops. I purchased a small pottery candle holder and a ceramic cross. Sharon bought me a beautiful robin egg blue/green ceramic soap dish which I love. (Thankfully, I made it home safely with everything!). That night, Cindy prepared a delicious tortilla chicken casserole, fresh green beans and salad. She had also made a wonderful apple spice cake!
Below: In the Delta of Mississippi, Greenwood is “the cotton capital of the world”. We saw field after field of beautiful snow-white cotton.
On Saturday, we said another sad goodbye and headed back to Memphis…to Penny and Mike’s home. We enjoyed hanging out together, having a delicious Southern dinner and watching a few favorite shows on television. Penny and I did some shopping the day before I flew back. I did manage to get it all in my suitcase and it wasn’t over the limit! On Wednesday morning, Mike and Penny drove me to the airport – in the midst of Memphis rush hour traffic – but we made it with time to spare.
It was a wonderful two weeks filled with lots of memories and I’m looking forward to returning in the early Spring!
I had just stepped into the elevator on the way up to see my doctor for a check up, when a petite elderly lady followed me into the car. She was bracing herself on her walker. The elevator was empty except for the two of us.
“Two please,” she said.
I pushed the button for the second floor and smiled at her. When she smiled back at me, I noticed her eyes. Sky blue – like my late mother’s, and her eyes were smiling. A genuine smile. Her hair was styled in soft white curls that looked like maybe they had just grown back in with a few patches of her scalp still visible. I wondered if she had been battling cancer. She was wearing a soft pink blouse and navy pants. She looked quite stylish. I was reminded, once again, of how much I had missed having a grandmother that I knew. My mother’s parents died when I was a small child. My father’s parents died before I was born. Somehow, all my life I had adopted elderly people, starting as a young teenager.
I turned my back to her to watch the elevator number panel.
“Your hair is so very pretty,” she said and then smiled again as I turned around. Again, a smile that reached her eyes.
“Why, thank you!” I replied. “I just had it cut this week.”
“I used to wear my hair like that when I was your age,” she said wistfully. “And I miss that.”
Before I had time to compliment her on her soft white curls, the elevator door opened and she got out.
Just a brief moment in time…and a sincere compliment.
Somehow, the rest of the day seemed a little brighter. It made me realize that I need to compliment others more. Much like a physical hug does, I realized that the interaction of a compliment – both giving and receiving – releases endorphins or serotonin, the “feel-good” chemical.
I promised myself I would work on being the giver of sincere compliments more often…
Yesterday was a huge day in Scottish history. With a fairly close vote, the citizens of Scotland made the historic decision to remain part of the United Kingdom. No doubt, you were reading about it and following along, as I was, as the votes rolled in.
The McGregor Crest: “Royal is my race”.
My GGGG-Grandfather, Rev. William McGregor, was born about 1732 in Scotland in what our family history legend refers to as “Ossian’s Glen”. The closest thing that I can find after many years of research is called Glen Coe, supposedly the birthplace of Ossian. You can read more about the history of it here. Some of my fellow McGregor descendants believe that our immigrant ancestor William McGregor was born in Perth, but I do not. At that time in history, the Clan McGregor dwelled in the highlands of Scotland. They were also a warring clan – defending their rights and property from the likes of the Clan Campbell and others. The McGregors have a long history of enduring, persevering and overcoming – even to the point of having the use of their name proscribed or prohibited. It’s a long, involved history and one I am still working on after all these years.
If William McGregor’s father fought in the 1745 to 1746 Jacobite uprising, William would have just been a boy so it’s doubtful that he would have been called upon to fight. One immigration record indicates that a William McGregor arrived in North Carolina in 1745. If he had been born in 1732, he would have been just a teenage boy. Did he accompany his parents? We know from tracing the ancestors from the present backwards, that our William McGregor became a Baptist preacher who settled in Montgomery County, North Carolina. I’ve studied the papers from his work as a Baptist preacher which are housed at Wake Forest University. I’ve been to his home which has been restored because he sold the house and the land to the first physician in North Carolina. I’ve seen his ancient grave marker as well as the new one which has been placed there. I want to know more but there are obstacles. I’ve been to the County Courthouses in North Carolina only to find out that most records burned during the Revolutionary War and/or the Civil War.
As each vote was being cast in answer to the question at the poll: “Do you want to remain a part of the United Kingdom?”, I wondered what my highland McGregor ancestors would have had to say about it. Especially after the Battle of Culloden. Granted, it has been 300+ years and life is calmer in the highlands now. Still, I wonder. I have a pretty good idea though!
My goal for the Iowa blizzards this winter is to continue working on this family history…and finally getting the story written!
Above: Rev. William McGregor’s rebuilt home in Morrow Mountain State Park in Stanly County, North Carolina.
If you’re wondering how he could “only” be my GGGG-grandparent with being born circa 1732, it’s because I am the youngest of 4 daughters, born to the youngest of seven children. Previous grandfathers were also close to being the youngest in each family.
