Today my grandmother would have been 91 years old. That is so hard to believe! She has been gone now for 16 years.
I like to imagine her soaking up all the glory that surrounds her in Heaven. I like to imagine she’s walking the streets of gold as she holds her son, Winston’s hand with my Grandfather Thearon, holding his other hand. As the song says, we can only imagine. But Gr
anny Lois no longer has to imagine. She is experiencing it all first hand.
I remember when she died. I was a freshman at Georgia Tech. We had been to stay with her several weeks before, sure that she was going to Heaven then, but she’d pulled through. Weeks later when she died, my Dad came to tell me early in the morning as I was still in my bed. I had to call one of my professors to arrange taking an exam that I would miss due to the funeral.
My fondest memories of her are the holiday and weekend visits she and my Aunt Amelia would make to our house in Rex. Those memories I can clearly relate to a smell. I remember getting off the bus from school, running in our house and I could smell Este Lauder perfume. As a little girl I didn’t know the scent was from perfume, it was just the familiar smell that I knew meant Granny Lois and Aunt Amelia were visiting. To this day if I smell that scent at a mall cosmetics counter or on someone else in an elevator, my thoughts go back to those afternoons running in the house with excitement knowing that we had company.
I remember her sitting in a kitchen chair while Alice, Hannah (my cousin) and I dolled her up with make-up. She let us put on as much blue eye shadow as we wanted and went on and on about how beautiful we’d made her.
I remember lying in bed in Texas in Hannah’s room. She slept in Hannah’s bed and Hannah and I on cots. She always made us crack-up laughing at something. I remember her getting in bed one night looking up at the light above the bed and saying, “Goodness gracious, this must be a 1000 watt bulb!” That’s probably one of those ‘you had to be there moments’, but we laughed about that for a long time.
I remember my Dad putting on music in our living room over Christmas vacation and her trotting in the room, ‘cutting a rug.’ She loved to dance. She tried to teach me how to do the Charleston. She would hold up her skirt a little and dance away in her stocking feet.
I remember spending a week with her during the summers. We’d come out of the grocery store or hair salon and the black leather seats in her Chevy Impala would be so hot you couldn’t sit on them. She’d line the seats with Kleenex for us to sit on with our shorts.
I remember riding in that Impala with her, Hannah and Alice and us 3 girls acting scared to
death because she was a maniac behind the wheel.
I remember she always had a candy dish in her apartment with Hershey’s Kisses. I think of her every time I have a Kiss.
I remember her red refrigerator.
I remember all her makeup and the fun we had making each other up as well as her.
I remember she bought me my first make-up kit for Christmas one year. Not sure my age, maybe 12. Of course it was an Este Lauder makeup kit.
I remember she loved to watch Wrestling on t.v. on Sunday afternoons.
I remember she loved to watch her ‘stories’ on t.v. during the day.
I remember that Chevy Impala was the only car she ever owned and my Grandfather bought it for her after they were married and he taught her to drive.
I remember her borrowing one of my yellow crayons to color in a scratch on her yellow Impala.
I remember she always called Hannah, “Missy”.
I remember going to the playground behind her apartment on Mercer’s campus and not being able to find her apartment when I was done playing. They were all identical and I couldn’t find hers. Some nice neighbors helped me.
We love you Granny Lois! How awesome it is to know that you are in His spectacular majesty. We rest in the peace of knowing that we will all be reunited again one day as you will no doubt great us at the gates and share with us all that you’ve enjoyed these last 16 years!
**** I know there are plenty of Helton’s who read this. If you are so inclined, leave your Granny Lois memories in the Comments section (Click on “Comments” at the end of this post). It will be fun to read what everybody writes. ****
I like to imagine her soaking up all the glory that surrounds her in Heaven. I like to imagine she’s walking the streets of gold as she holds her son, Winston’s hand with my Grandfather Thearon, holding his other hand. As the song says, we can only imagine. But Gr
anny Lois no longer has to imagine. She is experiencing it all first hand.I remember when she died. I was a freshman at Georgia Tech. We had been to stay with her several weeks before, sure that she was going to Heaven then, but she’d pulled through. Weeks later when she died, my Dad came to tell me early in the morning as I was still in my bed. I had to call one of my professors to arrange taking an exam that I would miss due to the funeral.
My fondest memories of her are the holiday and weekend visits she and my Aunt Amelia would make to our house in Rex. Those memories I can clearly relate to a smell. I remember getting off the bus from school, running in our house and I could smell Este Lauder perfume. As a little girl I didn’t know the scent was from perfume, it was just the familiar smell that I knew meant Granny Lois and Aunt Amelia were visiting. To this day if I smell that scent at a mall cosmetics counter or on someone else in an elevator, my thoughts go back to those afternoons running in the house with excitement knowing that we had company.
I remember her sitting in a kitchen chair while Alice, Hannah (my cousin) and I dolled her up with make-up. She let us put on as much blue eye shadow as we wanted and went on and on about how beautiful we’d made her.
I remember lying in bed in Texas in Hannah’s room. She slept in Hannah’s bed and Hannah and I on cots. She always made us crack-up laughing at something. I remember her getting in bed one night looking up at the light above the bed and saying, “Goodness gracious, this must be a 1000 watt bulb!” That’s probably one of those ‘you had to be there moments’, but we laughed about that for a long time.
I remember my Dad putting on music in our living room over Christmas vacation and her trotting in the room, ‘cutting a rug.’ She loved to dance. She tried to teach me how to do the Charleston. She would hold up her skirt a little and dance away in her stocking feet.
I remember spending a week with her during the summers. We’d come out of the grocery store or hair salon and the black leather seats in her Chevy Impala would be so hot you couldn’t sit on them. She’d line the seats with Kleenex for us to sit on with our shorts.
I remember riding in that Impala with her, Hannah and Alice and us 3 girls acting scared to
death because she was a maniac behind the wheel.I remember she always had a candy dish in her apartment with Hershey’s Kisses. I think of her every time I have a Kiss.
I remember her red refrigerator.
I remember all her makeup and the fun we had making each other up as well as her.
I remember she bought me my first make-up kit for Christmas one year. Not sure my age, maybe 12. Of course it was an Este Lauder makeup kit.
I remember she loved to watch Wrestling on t.v. on Sunday afternoons.
I remember she loved to watch her ‘stories’ on t.v. during the day.
I remember that Chevy Impala was the only car she ever owned and my Grandfather bought it for her after they were married and he taught her to drive.
I remember her borrowing one of my yellow crayons to color in a scratch on her yellow Impala.
I remember she always called Hannah, “Missy”.
I remember going to the playground behind her apartment on Mercer’s campus and not being able to find her apartment when I was done playing. They were all identical and I couldn’t find hers. Some nice neighbors helped me.
We love you Granny Lois! How awesome it is to know that you are in His spectacular majesty. We rest in the peace of knowing that we will all be reunited again one day as you will no doubt great us at the gates and share with us all that you’ve enjoyed these last 16 years!
**** I know there are plenty of Helton’s who read this. If you are so inclined, leave your Granny Lois memories in the Comments section (Click on “Comments” at the end of this post). It will be fun to read what everybody writes. ****
3 comments:
Great article Heidi ~ thanks!!!
I was laughing at the 1000 watt bulb...you had to be there! She would drape scarves, towels, shirts over lamp shades (pinning them if needed) to help dim the light, especially in the evening. I laugh when I think about her covering windows as well. NO ONE is going to see her inside of a house after dark. (I must confess...when the sun starts going down I close the blinds and do the same)
I don't smell Estee Lauder without thinking about her as well.
I remember the red refrigerator with glass Coca cola bottles in it, and ice cream in the freezer. I don't know anyone who liked ice cream more than Granny (except for maybe Scott and Fletcher if you can believe that!).
I remember her arriving in Houston with her large red Samsonite that, at the time, seemed to weigh a thousand pounds (loaded with shoes ~ heels of course) and A little red makeup bag full of lotions, makeup, and "cotton candy" pink nail polish. She loved the pinks didn't she?
She would also arrive in Houston carrying a large Tupperware container with a fabulous pound cake ready to go. She would always talk about the men who she would have to 'fight' off trying to talk her into a piece of it.
I remember her making biscuits and patting them with a little oil on the top before baking.
She kept on top of the daily news in the National Enquirer.
I remember trying to convince her that wrestling was fake and she would deny, deny, deny such a thing.
Remember "Sandy Claus"? That jolly ole soul.
I laughed when reading about riding in the Impala!!! What an experience. I must say she knew where that right pedal was and wasn't afraid to use it! She was also not afraid to pass people as she was zipping along. I remember looking at Heidi and Alice and just smiling as we held on for the ride.
I remember staying at her apartment with Heidi and she would let us have her bed and she would take the couch and we would get to laughing, and we can laugh, and hearing her in the other room trying to shush us....which would make us laugh even harder.
When she would visit us in the winters she would say "Charles, build us a fire it's cold." Then after it was going watching her throw more logs on the fire to keep it going. Most would be ready to shuck clothes it was so warm, and she is throwing another log on.
I don't remember a visit when we didn't go to the video store and rent Backstreet...she liked that movie a lot.
I can't wait to reunite and see you on those streets of gold, hear you call me 'Missy' again, do a little Charleston step with you, and see your mansion that I'm sure is dazzled in pink! We love you!!
"The Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:5
Hannah, I loved reading yours too! Some great memories! She was definately one of a kind!
Finally able to leave comments, and I had to come back here to say a little something.
Heidi- thanks so much for this! What a great tribute for Granny Lois. You had me laughing outloud! ...especially at the 1000 watt bulb memory!!! :)
Hannah- thanks for your memories too! Great to read it all. Lots of memories of her just came flooding back. I too can remember those hot seats in her car, and her always using kleenex to hold the steering wheel.
Also, don't think I ever sat in a seat after she had gotten up, when there wasn't a tissue stuck in it.
I wish Ronnie could have known her. I know they would have really hit it off!
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