Since my granny's passing in 2007, my family and I have continued the tradition of Sunday dinner in her honor once a month at her home. We potluck, reminisce, laugh and remember the good ole days. It's not the same without her by any means, but some things never change. Like today.
We had our Thanksgiving get together. There was so much food it took up two tables, and of course like tradition all the desserts were placed on the deep freezer. I don't know who started that or why it continues, but some things are not meant to be questioned--that's just how we roll. There were two types of everything there, from Mac n' Cheese to sweet potato casserole, turkey, etc. Needless to say, there was more than enough food and plenty left over, a very rare occurrence. No one left hungry.
As usual, there were children of all ages. Sometime between 2006 and 2009 there was a baby boom in my family. Literally, there were AT LEAST 14 kids born during that time. It's strange because I was thinking today as they all ran a circle around the fireplace, some things really never change. I couldn't tell you how many times my generation of cousins and I have ran that same circle until one of us ended up hurt, and then we were all scolded to sit down and stop running. It amazes me just how much doesn't change. Those kids do the same exact thing my bunch did. They hide in the same places, climb the same trees, make the same mistakes with their parents, and it literally shocks me. It's like a weird case of deja vu. It's almost like I'm reliving some moments in my past. The sad part -- my grandmother isn't going to be in their memories.
This generation will not eat her chicken and dumplings, her made-from-scratch biscuits, or her meatloaf. This generation will not hear her laugh so hard she cries and gets so tickled she can't finish her story. I guess I inherited that from her. This generation will not experience the warmth of her hugs and the gentleness of her soul. They won't remember the $20 dollars in cash and gift from Belks that she gave to every single grandchild each year. They won't understand the significance of why the pictures are not to be moved, of why the curtains will not be changed, the roosters are still on the shelf in the kitchen, and why her room is locked tighter than a drum. They won't get why the flower bushes are not to be touched. They won't remember why the ramp was built on to the side of the house, or the significance of the house itself. They won't hear any of her stories about her childhood and taking care of her siblings after her mother died, or how she raised 10 kids with an alcoholic and abusive husband. They won't have any idea why the best thing in life is sitting on the porch in a cool breeze drinking an RC cola and eating a moon pie, preferably vanilla. They won't know that granny's favorite time of year was fall, and that she loved Ponderosa, or any buffet for that matter. She just loved food.
It is so hard some days, remembering the days when the first place you went when you walked in the door was the kitchen. Granny would be sitting there, peeling taters, or mixing cornbread with her hands. She never measured anything. Her silver hair would be tied back and one leg would be propped up on a chair. she had a rag in one hand and a fork in the other. "Hi sweet darlin'," she would say. Her laugh will be stuck in my head for years and years to come. I hope I never forget it.
My grandmother is the only person thus far I have ever lost that was extremely close to me. My grandpa always terrified me so I kept my distance, so much that when he died I barely remember crying. My mom's dad died when I was 6 months old, and my mom's mom, well, she was special, but I never quite knew her like my dad's mom. As sad as it is to say, I don't think I loved her as much as my dad's mom either. She meant everything to me. I have so many regrets from how I handled losing her, but I know she is in a better place, and I know that she knew I loved her. I remember her most on days like today, surrounded by the family she created, the family she loved, and the family who will keep her memory alive.
I should be studying for the LSAT right now, considering that I haven't and it's in a week. But when something like this weighs on your mind you haven't much room for anything else. I don't know where the time went. 5 years ago I was leaving my granny's house and not realizing that I wouldn't share another Thanksgiving with her. 5 years ago, I thought I had all the time in the world with the people I love. Everyone says that "back in the good ole days..." blah, blah, blah. The good ole days still exist as long as we are alive and can enjoy those we love that are still with us. No, Merle, as bad as I hate to say that you are wrong, the good times are in fact not really over. I miss my granny, but it has taught me to live life, and spend time with those you love while you still have the chance and so do they. Make the best of what time you have, and always save room for the good ole days.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Enjoy the music!
Well, might I start by saying this is strictly for my own expression. But I've heard enough the last few days, so much that I feel I must share my opinion. Even if no one reads it.
For the last few months, but moreso the last few days for some reason, I continue to hear about how much Country music has changed. I hear that it sounds like old Rock, or that it sucks, or that it's like watered down Pop. Well I have something to say about that.
Music is how you perceive it to be. Music is one of the most powerful things we have the privilege of being exposed to. It has the power to start a movement, stop a war, ease a troubled mind, mend a broken heart, and say about anything you can't find the words to say yourself. Music can band a people together, unite a crowd the way nothing else can.
It. Is. Amazing.
The truth is, music is just like everything else around us -- people, technology, etc, -- it evolves. Nothing ever stays the same, everything is constantly changing. There are exceptions to this rule, for example, Jamey Johnson. We all thought we'd heard the last of the Outlaw movement until he arrived, but here he is. He is awesome, but if you'll notice, he doesn't have the following that others have. It's because he doesn't roll with the tide, he does his own thing. I'm not saying that Taylor Swift is Country, I don't think she is. I don't particularly care for her music, I tolerate it. Just the way I tolerate most of everything by that Minaj chick, Selena Gomez, and let us not forget Justin Beaver. But like I said earlier, it's how you perceive it.
Country is full of watered down Pop, I agree. And Country may not be Country 'no more' as Travis Tritt proclaimed some years back. What I love about Country, is that no matter how it changes, no matter how many goofy songs like "Red Solo Cup" or "Ticks" come out, most of the time, the message is still the same: we are who we are, and we don't like to change. There are those songs that come out that we can still relate to the message in it. Most recently, "Made in America" by Toby Keith.
"He's got the Red, White and Blue flying high on the farm
Semper Fi tattoo on his left arm
spends a little more in the store for a tag
in the back that says "U.S.A."
Won't buy nothing that he can't fix
with WD 40 and a Craftsman wrench.
He ain't prejudice, he's just,
made in America."
I know people just like that. I know older folks like that who are in the minority, and who is their voice? Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Eric Church, etc. Brad Paisley had another great song called "This is Country Music" that describes just what Country music is about for those who don't understand or sometimes forget:
"You're not supposed to say the word 'cancer'
in a song.
And tellin' folks that Jesus is the answer
can rub 'em wrong.
It ain't hip to sing about tractors, trucks, little towns, and mama,
yeah that might be true.
But this is country music
and we do."
Who writes lyrics like that? Not Jay-Z and Beyonce. Not Kesha. Not Justin Beaver, or Kanye West. They don't know jack. I could sit here and talk about this subject all day. I majored in it. I studied it. I love it.
Unfortunately, I don't have all day, and neither do you. My message is this: you don't have to love it to understand it. Music may have changed to some degree. We still have the Bob Seger's and the Eagles in the world who make good music and entertain us. We have newcomers everyday. You have the power to make music, choose music, or turn off music. I couldn't make it without it. I have a song for every mood. I love it, I live with a song in my head. I am guilty of complaining myself but honestly, I shouldn't. I am grateful we have music. I can't imagine my life without it.
The Bible says that if you can't sing you should make a joyful noise. That's enough for me.
For the last few months, but moreso the last few days for some reason, I continue to hear about how much Country music has changed. I hear that it sounds like old Rock, or that it sucks, or that it's like watered down Pop. Well I have something to say about that.
Music is how you perceive it to be. Music is one of the most powerful things we have the privilege of being exposed to. It has the power to start a movement, stop a war, ease a troubled mind, mend a broken heart, and say about anything you can't find the words to say yourself. Music can band a people together, unite a crowd the way nothing else can.
It. Is. Amazing.
The truth is, music is just like everything else around us -- people, technology, etc, -- it evolves. Nothing ever stays the same, everything is constantly changing. There are exceptions to this rule, for example, Jamey Johnson. We all thought we'd heard the last of the Outlaw movement until he arrived, but here he is. He is awesome, but if you'll notice, he doesn't have the following that others have. It's because he doesn't roll with the tide, he does his own thing. I'm not saying that Taylor Swift is Country, I don't think she is. I don't particularly care for her music, I tolerate it. Just the way I tolerate most of everything by that Minaj chick, Selena Gomez, and let us not forget Justin Beaver. But like I said earlier, it's how you perceive it.
Country is full of watered down Pop, I agree. And Country may not be Country 'no more' as Travis Tritt proclaimed some years back. What I love about Country, is that no matter how it changes, no matter how many goofy songs like "Red Solo Cup" or "Ticks" come out, most of the time, the message is still the same: we are who we are, and we don't like to change. There are those songs that come out that we can still relate to the message in it. Most recently, "Made in America" by Toby Keith.
"He's got the Red, White and Blue flying high on the farm
Semper Fi tattoo on his left arm
spends a little more in the store for a tag
in the back that says "U.S.A."
Won't buy nothing that he can't fix
with WD 40 and a Craftsman wrench.
He ain't prejudice, he's just,
made in America."
I know people just like that. I know older folks like that who are in the minority, and who is their voice? Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Eric Church, etc. Brad Paisley had another great song called "This is Country Music" that describes just what Country music is about for those who don't understand or sometimes forget:
"You're not supposed to say the word 'cancer'
in a song.
And tellin' folks that Jesus is the answer
can rub 'em wrong.
It ain't hip to sing about tractors, trucks, little towns, and mama,
yeah that might be true.
But this is country music
and we do."
Who writes lyrics like that? Not Jay-Z and Beyonce. Not Kesha. Not Justin Beaver, or Kanye West. They don't know jack. I could sit here and talk about this subject all day. I majored in it. I studied it. I love it.
Unfortunately, I don't have all day, and neither do you. My message is this: you don't have to love it to understand it. Music may have changed to some degree. We still have the Bob Seger's and the Eagles in the world who make good music and entertain us. We have newcomers everyday. You have the power to make music, choose music, or turn off music. I couldn't make it without it. I have a song for every mood. I love it, I live with a song in my head. I am guilty of complaining myself but honestly, I shouldn't. I am grateful we have music. I can't imagine my life without it.
The Bible says that if you can't sing you should make a joyful noise. That's enough for me.
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