Namesakes and Legacies

This is my Granny D (DeVan), or as some know, I like to call her Granny D Be Bumpin! Many of you have met her or at least heard stories about her. I do not know anyone that does not fall in love with her the minute they meet her. She is 91 years old, and up until this week, she has lived on her own, gone to the grocery store by herself (look out drivers!), and taken care of herself. This week she is moving in with her daughter and son-in-law. She is excited about it, and I, for one, am excited for her. Before she married, she lived and worked in Washington, DC, and her stories from that time in her life never get old. She married my Granddaddy and settled down in Jackson, TN, where she still lives today! My Granny D raised 5 children and took care of her husband until he passed away on December 25, 1998 at 85 years of age. She has 10 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. But, the most amazing thing about Granny D is her love for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! She will talk about Him forever if you let her, and I know more than anything in this world, she wants to see her children and her grandchildren and her great grandchildren grow up to know Him too. Thank you Granny D for passing on that legacy to my Daddy!

I do not have a recent picture (this one was taken in Hilton Head when I was in high school) of my Grandmother (Mary), but I sure wish I did! My mom's mom passed away when she was just 70 years old, also in 1998. She was like a second mom to me and we were all the family she had. She married my grandfather and had my mom. 18 months after my mom was born, my grandfather was killed in the Korean War. My grandmother went back to school and became a 3rd grade teacher. She raised my mom with the help of her mom, my great mama. I remember endless summer days spent fishing, going to the beach, looking for sharks teeth, shopping at the base, and riding around in her powder blue volkswagen bug. We spent time with her in Jacksonville, FL each summer and she spent a lot of time with us in Jackson, TN over the holidays and summers too. I remember sitting in my den when I was younger holding her picture and crying because I missed her. She was still alive then, but she seemed so far away in Florida. My Grandmother had not had the easiest life, but she loved the life she had, and I never once heard her complain. But again, the greatest thing about my Grandmother was that she loved the Lord and she raised my mom in a Christian home, and for that I am most thankful!

I hope to leave that kind of legacy!