It was definitely a party. Just the way she would have liked it. She being Mary Elizabeth Bessinger Gooch better known to some as Mom, others as Grandma, others as GG, others as Mary Beth, others as Mary, others as Mrs Gooch. I could go on and on because she knew everyone and each had a special name for her depending on the relationship of the two.
I called her Mom just like my Mom because when I married her oldest son, I gained another Mom and a stellar one at that. From my point of view she was great at everything she put her mind to do. She was the queen of music, the queen of thrifty shopping and she was the queen of mothering. She raised her five children to be best friends and as diverse as their lives have become they are just that--best friends.
She nurtured seventeen grandchildren and at her celebration service on Saturday January 3rd the six girl granddaughters prior to their collective reading spontaneously formed a club they call The Heartstrings Club, grandma's favorite endearment for each and every one of them. They have firmly put the next generation on the best friends trail. Surely the greats will do no less. Already there are eighteen to carry the banner with more to come.
At the service the grand girls read, the grand boys (sans Donald & Lewis) were pall bearers and the five siblings eulogized their mother with tender and touching stories. Oldest granddaughter Liza led the way with her introduction to the reading which was first on the program. She commented about how they as adult women were grown and scattered with varying lifestyles but their common bond was grandma. How she rocked them and sang to them, how they played make-up games throughout her house and how she always had the best treats like Pecan Sandies in her cupboard just for them.
Liza set the pace for a truly loving celebration and the rest followed just as eloquently. This family service was a tender act of love, filled to the brim with such just like mom wanted.
It was not until later Saturday evening that Donny & Bethie were chatting and Donny mentioned that surprisingly none of them had touched on a topic which was a constant thread in mom's life; her love of emphasizing the point and underlining choice words on a birthday, Christmas or other occasion card. There was always an on-going friendly competition in our household regarding the amount of underlines one received from grandma. The money in the card was appreciated for sure but it was mere icing on the cake. The underlines were the thing.
At the graveside Kenneth closed the short and sweet service with a prayer. But before anyone could rise Donny raised his voice and said, "Let's let the last thing be the Doxology." And thus we sang to Mom one more time.
Godspeed, Mom, Grandma and GG. We all love you!!
2 comments:
Love your blog! Bravo!
What an accurate portrayal of, (for me), dear Great Aunt Mary.She was quite a lady, and loved by so many.
Can't wait to chat more with YOU, Ms. Sandy! We have much more in common than I initially realized.
Until later,
Holly Bessinger, (Dixie, Ga gal)
Hey Holly! It was so good to meet you. We do have things in common. We can chat via email sandraball@gmail.com or perhaps you will hop on Facebook! Thank you for your kind words. I edited a bit since you visited the post and also added a link to Donny's journal which he had not posted when I first wrote my piece. Talk again soon!
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