Granny.

This is a photo of my great-grandmother, known to me and everyone who knew her even if they weren't related as "Granny".

Today I really miss her. I don't know what triggered it.

So, I thought I would write a post dedicated to her with some of my favorite memories. I think everyone needs a little bit of Granny in their lives! She passed away when I was 16. I still expect to pick up the phone and it be her on the other line. No matter how old or how frail she got, Granny always seemed invincible to me. The photo above is one of my favorite pictures of her. So much of her personality comes through in it. She had a great sense of humor and was always willing to do silly things with us kids.

Granny was born in 1915 and was one of 14 kids. I think there may have been more, but some of them passed away. Granny was a firecracker since day one. Her mother passed away when she was 8, leaving her and her siblings under the care of her alcoholic father. I remember her telling me that one day he decided that she needed to stay home and help raise the younger kids and quite school. She defiantly began the walk to school anyways. Her father started throwing rocks at her, so she turned around and started hurling them right back at him. Then she hauled ass to the one-room schoolhouse that she attended. She said she remembered watching the door thinking he would come through and pull her out at any minute, but he never came. She did quit school after that day to help raise her siblings, but it was on her terms. She was only in fourth grade.

She still always valued education after that. I remember sitting in her lap as a kid and she would draw apples and have me count them. Sometimes she would work with me on adding and subtracting. Often she would bring in a book or magazine and have me read it to her because she claimed she couldn't see the print. Really, she just wanted me to read. Granny was reading gossip magazines well into her nineties and I never once saw her wear reading glasses.

Granny was also hilarious. She taught me how to curse, or "cuss" without meaning to. After using some of my new found language once at my dad's work I knew better to use it again (where anyone could hear me, anyways). It's not my fault, though! I really thought "little shit" was a term of endearment. She also used the term "piss ant" if us kids were being particularly bad. That probably sounds horrible to everyone reading this... but Granny was never mean to us. She got onto us if we were being bad, but she never spanked us or anything. She even called my mother completely distressed because I was grounded for smarting off to my parents. She said "grounding sounds bad. It sounds like you are putting her in the ground. Do not use that word." I don't even think she knew those were "inappropriate"  terms she was using.

My granny was a beautiful person inside and out. She could cook like no other and could sew anything. She was constantly finding us cool stuff at yard sales (some were more confusing than anything... like the time she bought my older brother a line dancing instructional video. We pretended to like these weird gifts anyways!) and constantly played games with us. She lived for her kids, grand-children, and us great-grandchildren. She never complained when she had to miss her "programs" to watch us play video games after our aunt bought us a PS2. Although, she did not like my Harry Potter game because of the part where you have to shoot spells at the Cornish Pixies. She thought they were cute and said that "old Harry Potter" was "hateful". Even in my teen years she still babied us. I cant tell you how many times I crawled into bed with her and let her put an arm around me or sat in front of her chair while she brushed my hair.

Cora Lee Davenport was an amazing woman and I am blessed to have had her in my life. If you have a Granny in your life, take a few minutes to think about her. If she is still living call her or go for a visit even.