Mother's Day, 2008

Lucille Hanaway Guinee

1912-1998

Yesterday would have been my grandmother Lucy's 96th birthday! I am very fortunate to have MANY wonderful memories of my grandmother. My mother, sisters and I grew up less than five miles away from her home. After church on some Sunday's we went to her home where we enjoyed a fried chicken dinner, homemade mashed potatos, sweet corn, salad-with her own homemade oil and vinegar dressing and of course dessert--homemade chocolate cake and chocolate frosting. I can still see the blue metal cake saver sitting on top of the cart in her small breezeway kitchen. My mother and grandmother would chat with each other while my sisters and I went to the park or played outside.

On most Sundays though, we went out to visit our relatives in Indiana. My grandmother Lucy was born and raised in Indiana and that is where even to this day, most of my relatives live. We would travel to Gary, Crown Point, and Hebron visiting my Aunt Mabel, Aunt Toots, Aunt Berniece, Uncle Homer, Uncle Jim, and my grandmothers other siblings and all their families. There are a lot of relatives in Indiana! Many of my relatives were farmers so this "city girl" loved the "country". I loved playing in the barn, swinging on the truck tire swing, running in the crops, getting close (but not too close!) to the farm animals. Little did I know how much those visits would mean to me someday!

So, to my grandmother, my beloved mother, my many aunts, my sister, thank you for the memories! Thank you for being terrific role models of mothers! Happy Mother's Day!