Every change in the seasons brings to my mind sweet memories. There are memories of Holiday celebrations with family and friends, memories of conversations with loved ones, adventures I’ve taken alone and with others, near and far from home. Today I have memories of my dear, Great Grandmother, Alberta Canup. Today, September 16, 2012, would have been her 94th birthday. However, she passed away December 31, 2011, after living a long, full, and wonderful life. To share every memory with you would be to write a book. It would be a lovely book, because I treasure and cherish those memories as gold. But, here are a few.
My great grandma was many things. Hard of hearing, down to earth, an amazing story teller, and loaded with wisdom and some common sense on the side.
One special memory I have of her was when I was a young child, and first realized she couldn’t hear as well as I could. We were sitting on her swing, in the yard under a shade tree, shelling pinto beans fresh picked from her, very large and bountiful, garden behind the house. It was a beautiful summer day. The breeze was soft, and under the shade tree it cooled the temperature nicely. As we were shelling the beans, Grandma was telling me stories of her childhood, her walks to school, and her first kiss, which turned into the first boy she smacked. The front door was open to the house, and from inside the house I could hear the phone begin to ring. Grandma paused the swing, stopped shelling the beans, and tilted her head. “Hm. The birds are comin’ out I hear.” I stifled a little giggle. She continued, “I wonder what kind of bird that one is though. Huh. I ain’t never heard that one before. Almost sounds like a mocking bird of sorts.” Finally, I couldn’t hold it in, as the phone continued ringing, over and over… “Actually Grandma, I think that’s the phone ringing.” She stopped completely, smiled, and without missing a beat said, “Ha! Well…I’d rather that had been a bird.” No, she didn’t get up and go see who called. Nor did she care at the moment. She continued shelling the beans, and telling me stories about life, and lessons learned from it. Yes, a memory of pure gold.
Grandma could name every flower and plant under the sun, tell you how many different colors they produce in, and when and where best to grow them. Her knowledge of all things green never ceased to amazing me.
The things that make me smile a humorous smile are her response to someone who is speaking too low for her to hear. “HeH?! EH!?” To those who heard that so often, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You are probably hearing her voice in your head as you read this, “Whaat?!” (and smile). Also, if anyone has ever talked to Great Grandma on the phone, they would tell you she doesn’t generally say “Bye” at the end of the conversations. When she’s done talking, she simply…hangs up. I’ve been on the phone with her many a time when I would be in the middle of saying something and the line would disconnect mid-sentence. I would just shake my head, smile or laugh, and then hang up my end as well.
Throughout her life, Grandma remained faithful to her family, and to her God. Every time I saw her outside, she was either working with her hands or reading her Bible. Our church did a program called “Daily Bread” which is a Bible reading program that takes the reader through the whole Bible in a year. Great Grandma went through the whole program multiple times, every year, taking every verse to heart. One thing that made me laugh was when she would refer to scripture and then say, “Yeah, that’s in Matthew somewhere.” After having read the book of Matthew more times in five years than most have probably read in their lives.
Among my most recent memories, when my dear great grandmother was no longer able to mow her own yard (and the neighbor’s as well), plant her own garden, go to church every time the doors were open, enjoy her weekly breakfast and shopping day with her daughter (my grandmother), or walk outside her house, enjoying her flowers alone, I sat with her nearly every day for a month. During that month, I took advantage of every moment I had that was good. Every memory she shared, I cherished and held dearly in my journal. The conversations we had together were about family, friends, loved ones gone one, and the baby that I had growing inside me that July.
I had reconnected with a very close friend in June of 2010 (now known to all as my husband, Sean), and he came to see me and my family, all the way from Crete, Greece, where he was stationed at the time in the United States Navy. He and my brother came out to Great Grandma’s house one afternoon while I was there with her. She and I were sitting on the front porch swing, enjoying the afternoon air, having just finished our daily rounds around the yard, naming the flowers and remembering times and events that surrounded her gardens. Great Grandma asked Sean what is was he did for a living. He told her he is a Master at Arms in the United States Navy. She smiled, and began to tell us three about my Great Grandpa, Micah Canup, who was also in the Navy in years past. She told us of his tour to Australia, and shared some of his stories about ship life. She told of the closeness they shared, and the love they had for each other, and of their children. Every story brought more joy to her face, and peace to her mind. In her love for sharing her memories with others, I have been very blessed to be one of those that she shared such riches with throughout my life, and I will be ever thankful for those opportunities and blessings.
I could go on and on about the things I recall in my life with my dear great grandmother, and my great grandpa as well. The camping trips, their vegetable store off the back porch, the early mornings picking produce from the garden, and the candy that Grandpa would so often tell “Maw” to get from the cabinet for the kids, because we looked “hungry”. Without fail, she would get up from her chair, go to the cabinet, and pull out a single butterscotch candy piece for each of us and send us on our way, “full”. So today, on the day of her birth, I remember her vigor, strength, love, grounded faith, and the treasure that she was to all who experienced her in her life and theirs. Happy Birthday my dear, Great Grandma. You are missed so much, and we will all hold dear the memories that we shared with you.
