Yesterday was my grandmother’s birthday, had she lived she would have celebrated her
106th birthday.
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She was born Nina Margaret McDowell in Ashville, North Carolina on April 2, 1911 and passed away at the age of 98 on May 1, 2009.
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I think about her every day and I remember how overly concerned she was with the look of her hands.
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The year before she passed, she would often complain about how “ugly” her hands looked and I would take them into my own, kiss them gently and say,”you have beautiful hands, mama”.
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Today, as I look down at my own hands and begin to see the signs of aging I once again think of her. However, before I complain, I think of how much harder her hands worked than mine!
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Grandma’s hands cooked, cleaned and washed clothes for rich families, scrubbed their toilets and changed their kid’s diapers.
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Grandma’s hands worked hard, scrubbing floors on her hands and knees using buckets of hot soapy water.
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Grandma’s hands held the backs of the seats on a bus as she rode miles to dump waste baskets and dust desks in multi-floor office buildings.
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Grandma’s hands worked hard to raise six kids that kept them in clean clothes and put fresh food on the table.
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Grandma’s hands worked hard to take in and raise two granddaughters to adulthood.
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I held Grandma’s hands in mine as she transitioned from her earthly home to her heavenly home…
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I will always miss my Grandma’s hands!
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Happy Birthday, Mama – I love and miss you.
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