ENTERTAINING BB

January 13, 2012

Dear Emily,

You are six and a half months old and quite the little entertainer!  It is impossible to be with you for more than fifteen seconds and not smile!  That’s because you are so happy.  When you see me walk into Miss Peggy’s house, your face breaks into a huge smile.  When I snap your carrier into the car seat, you look up at me with those sweet eyes and smile as if to say “Yay, BB!  This is going to be so much fun!”  As soon as we get home, you begin to hold out your arms, arch your back, and kick your legs to let me know that you are ready to play.  And that’s what we do! 

On Tuesday afternoon, I took you out of the carrier and put you on the  carpet on your back.  For just a heartbeat, you looked up at me – I think just to make sure I was watching – and then you did it!  You flipped over on your stomach, drew up your knees, twisted your bottom around, and sat up…all in a flash and all on your own.  And once you were balanced, you looked up at me and beamed…”Ta-da! See? I did it BB!”  And I cheered!  “Yay Emily! Yes! You did it! You are so smart! Let’s do it again!”  And you did.  Over and over just to entertain me, and I loved it.  

When you are at my house, the only important thing is you.  Forget cooking – forget washing clothes – forget grading papers –  all those minor things

“…can wait till tomorrow, for babies grow up

           we’ve learned to our sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs…

Dust go to sleep…”

I’M PLAYING WITH EMILY AND EMILY WON’T KEEP!!

JUST SO YOU KNOW

January 1, 2012

Dear Emily,

Today I wore my grandmother’s gold bracelet to church.  My grandmother, Jimmie Floyd Ogilvie, gave it to me when I was fifteen.  Her father, James Floyd, had given her the bracelet in 1907 for her 12^th birthday.  Her initials “J F” are engraved on the top in a beautiful script.   I always thought it was unique that my grandmother’s name was Jimmie…Jimmie is usually a boy’s name… but my great-grandfather had wanted a boy so he gave her the name he had planned for a boy…Jimmie…after himself.  Grandmama didn’t have much jewelry…she was not the kind of person to care about things like that, but she treasured that bracelet, and so do I. 

I adored my grandmother.  When I was growing up, I tried to spend as much time as possible at Grandmama’s house.  She was always there.  The only places she went were to the beauty shop on Friday and to church on Sunday; otherwise, she was at home taking care of my invalid grandfather, cooking for farm hands, and tending to her flowers.  She was content.  I know that kind of life probably sounds boring to you, but Grandmama was far from boring.  She shared with me fascinating stories about her childhood.  Grandmama was only nine when her mother died, but she assumed the responsibility of rearing her five other sibilings. Other stories were about my daddy and his three brothers.  Grandmama had four sons in five years so there was never a dull moment.  Some of her most interesting stories were about the years that my grandfather was county sheriff.  During that time, they left the farm with a caretaker and moved to Lewisburg to live at the jail where Grandmama cooked for the prisoners! 

When I wear her bracelet, I’m not wearing just a piece of antique jewelry…I’m wearing a storehouse of memories. Mine and hers.  You will never meet her.  You will never experience what a sweet, loving, kind, and generous person she was.  But you will know her stories, and someday, Emily, you also will wear her bracelet, and you too will remember.