home at last

my great-grandmother died today. not unexpected, but still sad. during the past decade in the nursing home you could always tell she just wanted to be home. she would have been 95 next month. she spent those years in south carolina caring for her family: six children, about 25 grandchildren, and dozens of great- and great-great-grandchildren. whenever i picture her, i see her as she is in my childhood memories. cooking in a summer dress in the kitchen of her tiny house by the cotton fields. in the wire lawn chairs in the front yard in the heat of the south carolina summer, fanning herself as we sat around watching the grass turn brown and the haze rise off the road. sitting in a rocking chair, crocheting an afghan for a new baby, or piecing a quilt for a grandchild, or simply reading her bible. standing on her front porch, surrounded by family everywhere, in the kitchen, in the yard, in the living room, pulling into the driveway. she was the picture of a true southern lady. yet she could always surprise you. the last time i went to visit her, she referred to me as her homegirl. and she loved that little house, with its low ceilings and big trees and the road winding by the front yard. she missed the place where she raised her six children during depression and war, and where she grew old with her husband. she loved him too, and the two children who joined him in heaven before her. through her entire life, she never lost her love for jesus or for her family. and that is a legacy that will live on. we'll miss you, grandmama. guess what, you're finally home.

bessie hodge vaughn ~ 1911-2006