Outside of my mom, these people have probably had the greatest influence upon my life thus far. But not because they lived next door and it was easy; they actually lived eight hours away but made it a priority to have a relationship with my brother and me. They made that drive from Arkansas to Texas so many times, they probably had it memorized!
I wish everyone could know Granny and Papaw. I want to be like them in so many ways! For one thing, they have been married for 58 years and they STILL flirt with each other! For example, one time (not too long ago, actually) Granny was trying to tell Papaw about someone they knew that had injured his knee. She lifted up her skirt a little to show him what had happened on her own knee, and when she did Papaw let out a whistle and said, “Wooo, Mama! You got pretty legs!” She cut her eyes at him, pursed her lips and said, “Shut up and listen to me!” Papaw just threw his head back and laughed…he knew she liked it!
That’s another thing about Granny and Papaw: they have the best sense of humor! They don’t take themselves seriously at all. Instead, they have learned to laugh. When people say things to hurt their feelings, they just chuckle, shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, allright then.” I can’t tell you the hours we have spent in their den drinking coffee and laughing together about something that happened or that was said. These people simply cannot be offended because they choose not to be. Period. Maybe that’s how they survived the ministry for all these years!
Papaw is the type of man that doesn’t say much unless he’s got something to say. He’s perfectly content to let someone else do the talking, and that someone is usually Granny. Granny’s a real straight shooter…don’t ask Granny what she thinks if you don't want to know! She’ll get that finger to wagging and those pretty eyes to snapping and you’ll KNOW you’ve been GOT! She always starts off with, “Now you listen to Granny…” (Can you tell I’ve been GOT a time or two??) But it’s a good thing to get GOT by Granny! She’s one of the wisest people I’ve ever known and I still call and discuss every major decision with her before I talk to anyone else (except for Chris, of course!). I know that someday the Lord will call her home and I won’t have her here to help me, but until then I intend to take full advantage of her wisdom and experience.
Well, I could go on and on about Granny and Papaw but I guess I’ll stop here for now…but if you’re ever in Alma, Arkansas, be sure to look them up. They’ll put on a pot of coffee, invite you to stay for supper and tell you stories that will have you rolling in the floor…but I’ll warn you: once you get to know them, you’ll miss them and long for their comfortable companionship. I know I sure do.
4 comments:
This was the sweetest post!
I wish you could know them, Carrie! I know you would love them!
Maybe one day we can meet them!!! I love grandparents. Actually I just love old people! lol
Me too...it's probably because we had such wonderful grandparents!
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