"Mamaw"

When I was growing up I loved to visit "Mamaw". She lived in Kentucky, by a creek, with a hill and a cemetery! Just the coolest place to visit, my younger sister and I used to spend the summers there when we were about 10 years old. It was always just about the time Vacation Bible School was in that area, which is another story.

Each time we visited with our family, she would always be on the run. It seemed that as soon as we finished breakfast and did the dishes, she was peeling potatoes for lunch, then the same for supper. She also took us to milk the cow and was very willing to share the milking duties. We have some short movie clips of us trying to milk the cow, needless to say we were not very good at it, she would have to finish the job. Our other grandparents seemed to be a bit older, but now as I look back they probably weren't, just a few more health problems. Funny how as we age we finally realize that even though you look 80, doesn't mean you are.


Mamaw would also go pick apples and then sit on the porch and peel them for us to eat, all 5 of us, till we were full! That is a lot of apples! But I can still remember the smile she would always have.
Although I loved "Mamaw" when I became a grandma I didn't want to be called that because I thought of it as a southern name. I had been raised in Ohio and was not a southerner! Alexis called me "grannnnna" when she first started to talk, which I thought was very cute. As she got a little older it changed to grandma! She will laugh now if you remind her that she used to call me that, she will tell us that was when she was a baby, so silly.


When Jaxen first started talking called me grandma, I think it was because his sister was calling me that. Most of the time he still called me grandma, but when he is excited it changes to "Mamaw"! Just the thing I didn't want to be called. I do not correct him I just let his excitement carry him!!! Just like all little boys he is very excitable.


As I began to think about the reasoning behind not wanting to be called "Mamaw". I just didn't like the sound of it. It doesn't have a pleasant ring like grannnnnna, or grandma. When thinking about the name I also began to remember the great times I had with my Mamaw. I tried to see if I could live up to the name. Was I sweet, caring, willing to show the kids how to do ordinary things, peel apples till the kids were full, find jars for bugs. Well for the most part I was doing a pretty good job doing most of the things I remember her for.


So I have taken a different look at being called "Mamaw". I think I am going to love fulfilling the footsteps of my grandma, I just hope I will be able to.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of being a "Mamaw".