Great Grandma Memories

My first real memory of her is when she lived in Columbus, Georgia. We went for a visit, she took us over to one of her friends' houses who had grandchildren visiting. We jumped on their trampoline. Her house was a red brick house. I got swarmed by red ants when I was standing outside of her house.

She moved to Blairsville, my hometown. She watched my brother and I on Wednesday nights when our grandparents had choir practice. When I think back on it, she had the patience of a saint. We would run up and down the halls of her retirement community. We wanted to ride the elevators all the time. We wanted to go down to the front desk and play with the automatic doors. We wanted to wrestle in her bedroom and be generally obnoxious. She placated us with candy and let us do just about anything that we wanted to.

We got older, she got older. She became a voice of wisdom, telling us of her life and the choices that she had made. She became a role model with her endless volunteerism, hard work ethic, and general social abilities. She might have been a tad nosy, a trait I tend to share.

I share her chin. Her facial expressions. Her stubborness. Her determination. Her nosiness.

Her passing was not unexpected. She was, after all, 98. Her passing was peaceful.

I will miss her. But I will always have this strong, beautiful, amazing woman inside of me.

Farewell Rosa Lee Wilson. I love you.