Mema, we miss you!

It is hard to believe that one year ago today I lost my Mema Garner. Looking back at a CD of pictures from her 80th birthday party in 2008, I remember quite clearly why I miss her so much. She was a beautiful woman with a calming presence who made everyone who came in contact with her feel comfortable and loved. When I would come in and sit with her from time to time, she and I would talk at length, mainly about me. She was just that kind of person. Easy to talk to, patient, never quick to judge or criticize (although she did have her opinions and would express them freely when necessary), and an accommodating, hospitable person always concerned with others' comfort.

I am sad that my daughters will never get to sit and talk with my Mema and know her the way I did. Yet as I look at my Mom, I believe they will have that opportunity if only in a slightly different way because my Mom is so much like my Mema: someone who loves people and cares dearly for others' happiness. It is amazing how as teenagers we swear we will never be like our own parents and yet in many ways they are who we actually become. Looking at my Mom, I see my Mema. And I hope that one day my children will see their Gram Gram in me.