Treasure Tuesday

Has it been a week already? Be sure to pop by Faith's to check out other Tuesday Treasures.

This might not look like much to you, but it is about the only thing I have left of my paternal grandparents, aside from some old letters, pictures, and memories.

My Mamaw and Papaw lived in a little town called Mountain Pine, Arkansas. We didn't see them much, maybe once a year, because we always lived so far away from them. They were good people and loved my sister and me. I remember Mamaw trying to teach me to crochet once, she would laugh if she could see me now trying to knit I am sure. Papaw was a big man, but his hugs could melt you. He was the happiest person I have ever known. They passed away in 1998, three months apart. They were 92 years old. My Papaw was in excellent health, we thought, until March 4 that year (which ironically is Jacob's birthday) when he had a small stroke and after that they found he had cancer pretty much everywhere and died in July. They moved in with my parents and Mamaw never was able to go home, although she cried daily about how much she missed it.

I don't have much of an opportunity to go to Arkansas much anymore, but two summers ago we travelled up for a reunion on the other side of the family and took a detour to my grandparent's old house. My cousins somehow "inherited" it and at one time were trying to "restore" it, but judging from all the empty beer cans scattered around the porch, I guess it got too hard for them. Anyway, it was tough to see that old house empty and falling down but my Mamaw's flowers were still blooming and the squirrels still came around, missing her I bet. I had to go up and peek in the windows, I wanted to remember listening to my Mamaw sing Johnny Cash tunes while she was cooking in the kitchen and my Papaw whittling by the window, but that was hard to do. The cousins had pretty much trashed the inside as if they were looking for something, but I found this "plaque" hanging by the door. It hung by the door and I can remember being little and looking up at it, held by my daddy when we would arrive to visit. It now hangs on my back porch reminding me how much my Mamaw missed her home, helping me to appreciate the one I have.