Granny-Cadgeing
Today was my Grandmothers funeral.
She had been in hospital for a while and quietly slipped away last week. She was a formidable woman. Small in Stature but Big in Personalility. I have a very big family with lots of uncles and cousins and it was no surprise that we all met today, from all round the country, and some traveling by plane from abroad to be gathered to pay our respects to her.
There are lots of things I could say about her, and lots of stories to tell.
She came across to some as scarey and fearse. The village garage, when her and my grandfather used to go in would jump to their feet and go and fill their car. My family has been in that village since time began and are well known. They used to greet my grandfather with smiles and handshakes "John Arnold" they used to greet him. To my granny they used to visably quake and nod their heads respectfully and say " Mrs Taylor". ...I saw this once and thought it very strange. I asked granny about it, why they didnt call her by her first name too....she just twinkled her eyes at me and grinned.
We used to go and see her, we are from good farming stock and they lived on the farm too. We used, my brothers and I, to call it "Granny Cadgeing". My twin and I were much better at it than Hugh, and used to come back with our pockets full of chocolate and loose change.
I now dont doubt for a minute that she knew exactly what we were doing, but she loved her grandchildren enormously and would do anything for us.....including playing along with the Granny-Cadgeing!
She was married for 60 years to a man who broke the mould when he was born. To see him aged 92 sat with his heart broken in church looking at her coffin was dreadful. He didnt sing or take part in the service visably at all, until the final hymn All things Bright And Beautiful.
Then he sung his broken heart out.
At the grave side I had to look away from him. It was more than I could bear to see.
I am very lucky. To have been given the remarkable grandparents I have, with the high morals and values that they all four shared, mixed equally with twinkley eyes, strength, humour and love that they all gave to my parents, to me and my brothers and all my cousins has been a backbone for the strength I have needed to find at various parts of my life. Not saying that anything I have ever experianced comes anything close to the strength that I witnessed today.
lybxx
She had been in hospital for a while and quietly slipped away last week. She was a formidable woman. Small in Stature but Big in Personalility. I have a very big family with lots of uncles and cousins and it was no surprise that we all met today, from all round the country, and some traveling by plane from abroad to be gathered to pay our respects to her.
There are lots of things I could say about her, and lots of stories to tell.
She came across to some as scarey and fearse. The village garage, when her and my grandfather used to go in would jump to their feet and go and fill their car. My family has been in that village since time began and are well known. They used to greet my grandfather with smiles and handshakes "John Arnold" they used to greet him. To my granny they used to visably quake and nod their heads respectfully and say " Mrs Taylor". ...I saw this once and thought it very strange. I asked granny about it, why they didnt call her by her first name too....she just twinkled her eyes at me and grinned.
We used to go and see her, we are from good farming stock and they lived on the farm too. We used, my brothers and I, to call it "Granny Cadgeing". My twin and I were much better at it than Hugh, and used to come back with our pockets full of chocolate and loose change.
I now dont doubt for a minute that she knew exactly what we were doing, but she loved her grandchildren enormously and would do anything for us.....including playing along with the Granny-Cadgeing!
She was married for 60 years to a man who broke the mould when he was born. To see him aged 92 sat with his heart broken in church looking at her coffin was dreadful. He didnt sing or take part in the service visably at all, until the final hymn All things Bright And Beautiful.
Then he sung his broken heart out.
At the grave side I had to look away from him. It was more than I could bear to see.
I am very lucky. To have been given the remarkable grandparents I have, with the high morals and values that they all four shared, mixed equally with twinkley eyes, strength, humour and love that they all gave to my parents, to me and my brothers and all my cousins has been a backbone for the strength I have needed to find at various parts of my life. Not saying that anything I have ever experianced comes anything close to the strength that I witnessed today.
lybxx
posted by lyb | 12:07 PM
1 Comments:
Thank you. xxx
love you too. xxx
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