Frustrated with something that was said? Impatient for something to happen? Just a little blue? No matter what the concern, Nana always said cleaning a dresser drawer made everything all right again for her!
I doubt that Nana (my mother's mother) ever read books about Feng Shui or organizing, but she certainly understood all the principles! There is something about clearing and straightening to move to a more energized, positive state.
Nana's been gone for 20 years now ... doesn't seem like that long ago. Jessie was active until her dying day. She did finally have to give up her home when she was about 90. But she made a point of getting all around her retirement home.
Something that was really awe inspiring is that my mom received a letter in the mail from Nana a couple of days after Nana died. Nana had an abdominal aneurism and was rushed by helicopter to a hospital but died almost immediately. Even to the end she was doing something interesting... her first helicopter ride.
She's been on my mind so much lately. Every night I sleep under two of her quilts: one on my bed and one hanging over my bed on the wall. So many loving stitches in those quilts!
That was Nana's other key to feeling peaceful, productive, and resourceful, creating something.
Her sewing, knitting, and crocheting are everywhere through the family. She was constantly creating a gift for someone!
She had a garden for years always full of wonderful produce. And there was the grape arbor with those wonderful Concord grapes. I haven't seen those in the stores for a very long time...would taste so good right now!
AND, there was the raspberry patch! I absolutely LOVED picking...and eating raspberries! Fresh raspberries are absolutely my favorite fruit! Not the same in the store after they've been transported.... Here are some photos of raspberry picking in Bellingham WA last summer.
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5 comments:
Suzanne, thank you so much for sharing the simple, true wisdom of another generation that I think truly was "the greatest!" That was the second grandmother quote of my day. The first came from my sister (in Bellingham, WA!) who reminded me of our Irishgreat grandmother's words "I never looked for trouble. And when I found it, I didn't hug it to me." So here's to order that can get us through troubling times and the wisdom not to let those moments cling to our spirits!
Mimi
www.thegoodnessgrows.com
Mimi, how amazing that your sister happens to be in Bellingham!
Perhaps I can connect with her when I am on one of my extended visits with my family!
Love that quote....of not hugging our trouble to us!
Hi Suzanne. Thank you so much for this. I too had a grandmother who I was close to. She was a wonderful role model for me on what women could accomplish in the world. She died on July 4th, so I just spent time really remembering her.
Andrea
I never had the gift of grandmothers. Both of mine had long been deceased when I was born. But I can appreciate the wisdom they have to offer. And I can appreciate when I see a quilt that was made by a grandmother. It is love, and it's a treasure I hope I'll be able to give to my grandkids some day, whenever they arrive--even if I had to handsew it.
Mimi, I love your memories of your grandmother. The only grandmother I had died when I was two and hospitalized with polio, so I have no memories of her. However, my mother was not only a wonderful mother, but a wonderful grandmother to my children. From the time her first grandchild was born, she became "Grandma." The memories her grandchildren have of Grandma are priceless and cherished.
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