paperdolls
April 20, 2009
We’re sitting in her living room, the smell of peanut butter and marshmallows hanging in the air like day-old birthday balloons. The heat of a Mississippi summer and the buzz of an oscillating fan are lulling me to sleep and Gran is rocking in her blue chair.
She’s humming a song she’s made up as she folds and snips at an old piece of newspaper. I wonder if it’s the obituaries page or the comics perhaps; she always reads them first.
My feet are hanging off the couch, miles from the floor and there are tiny specks of dust floating haphazardly in a beam of sunlight that’s cutting across the room.
A lazy Longview day with nothing to do but sweat.
The rocking stops and she smiles contentedly at the black and white scraps now piled high on the floor.
“Look,” she says and like the magic of a well rehearsed stage show, she unveils her work of art – a strand of paperdolls dancing to the cadence of a fan-made breeze and I have never loved her more.
Posted in family
POSTS
content rss
April 21st, 2009 at 11:38 am
You have me tearing up right now. This was a grandmother trait that only she did. She did this for Colton. I will email you one of my most prized pictures, look for it.
April 21st, 2009 at 3:34 pm
My Grandmother did this for me as well. She also use to recite a poem that went….BACKWARD, OH BACKWARD, TIME IN THY FLIGHT, MAKE HER MY LITTLE GIRL JUST FOR TONIGHT. I can almost smell the “oldness” and hear the quietness from those days gone by. Thanks for the trip!
April 22nd, 2009 at 8:49 am
I am actually speechless. I could see her sitting there doing that! What a great memory. Thanks for reminding me of how wonderful she was to all of us!
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:25 am
I love GRANDmothers. They give such great memories. I remember so many wonderfully lazy summer days at her house. I was always bored and she was always coming up with crafts for me to do. I am thankful that my girls are still getting to spend time with my grandmother. It’s such a blessing to see. Thanks for sharing that perfect memory.