(Great) Memaw

I want you to know about all of the grandparents and great-grandparents who love you, so I will write to you about each and every one.  Today is February 16 and I thought it would be most appropriate to write about my Memaw first since she left us to go to Heaven on February 13, 2010.  Her name is Lydia Lanell. 

She was and continues to be such an incredibly important part of my life and I know she would have been a huge part of yours as well.  She loved harder than anyone I have ever known.  She was faithful.  She was fiesty.  She made the best chocolate pies while she listened to rock music.  She was absolutely one of a kind.  She is your great Memaw, not just because of how family trees work, but because she was certainly great - more than great.  She was mine and grandma's very best friend. 

Memaw is grandma's mom and you can tell just by looking.  Everyone always commented on how much we all look alike.  I haven't met you yet, Brier, but when I dream about you, you look just like me and grandma and Memaw, too.  I hope that you have Memaw's beautiful deep dimples.  I think they were so prominent because she smiled and laughed all of the time.

We loved to drink coffee together while sitting at her dining room table in her old house, listen to music (she especially loved Roy Orbison, John Anderson, Elvis Presley, and ZZ Top), lovingly whisper about how bossy your grandma is, go to Wal-Mart, decorate for and celebrate Christmas and literally laugh until we cried.  Here's a picture of just one of the numerous times we laughed until we cried.  

Her favorite place to eat was Golden Corral and grandma took this picture.  Memaw was talking about how much people were eating at the buffet and being kind of tacky about it actually, but it was so funny.  She had the most unique sense of humor, definitely not your typical memaw - she would do or say just about anything to get a laugh.  The man behind us in this picture kept covering his ears because we were laughing too loud.  I can't wait to tell you about other times and show you videos we have of us too.

She was more proud of me than anyone else I think I have ever encountered in my life.  I remember all of the times that I would go to visit her and she would beg me to go see her friends so she could show them how "beautiful" I was.  Most of the time I looked just like the picture above and I was definitely not something to brag about.  But, she believed with all of her might that I was the most beautiful, smartest, funniest person in the world.  She was always on my side, too. No matter what.  I know you and grandma will have a similar bond.  I am so blessed because of the relationship I had with my memaw.  It's a love like no other.  Her love was unconditional.

I wish more than anything that she could be here on Earth to meet you.  But, I know she is looking down on us from Heaven and she is without a doubt beaming her most beautiful smile because she knows you and she loves you.  

We used to call ourselves "three peas in a pod" and to be honest, Grandma and I have felt completely lost without her for the years she has been gone, but we are looking forward to having our "third pea" back.  You're our third sweet pea.  

Love you more...