The Greatest Great-Grandma

I have favorite humans. The superstars of humanity, few and far between. My Great-Grandma, Minnie Pearl, yes her name is Minnie Pearl, is one of my favorite humans to have ever walked the planet. I lived with her for twelve years. My own mother was gone, but I was blessed with a supermother. Most people don’t even get to meet their Great-Grandmas. Thanks to a whole lot of young parents and longevity in my family, I was able to enjoy the magnificence of this family matriarch. She raised four boys and one girl….five boys if you count my Great-Grandfather. They were married seventy-four years. You heard me. I’m uncertain if I can stand my damn self for seventy-four years. She was an amazing human. A black woman from the south, she did not play. She had twelve siblings and wrung her first chicken neck at the age of ten. She worked as a crossing guard, a cook (for wealthy white folks) and I came to live with her when she was running her own Daycare.

My Great-Grandma was serious about a woman having her own money. And though I learned this, saw this, experienced this and knew better….I still got married, left my job and became a stay at home mother and wife. And I learned the hard way, God bless the child who has her own. My Grandma said it all the time. She showed me by running her own daycare. She was in her late seventies, early eighties, taking the best care of some lucky kids. I had my own kids, years after she passed. And I’m so envious of the little ones who had my Grandma to take care of them.

She had endless patience…until she didn’t. She loved her family and the Lord. And oh the meals. What I wish I had learned was how to make every dish she made. Being a foolish kid, I only know how to make her Salmon Cakes and Tuna Macaroni Salad. But when I make these things, folks lose their minds. She made a mean pound cake, peach cobbler, biscuits from scratch, applesauce. What I wouldn’t do for some of her applesauce right now. I mean she had a big metal grinder that you attach to the counter, grind apples and deliciousness came after. She made ice cream from scratch, magical chocolate chip cookies, magical oatmeal cookies. Just a whole magic meal situation in our house every night. Me and the cousins picked dandelions from the yard, because this whole package of a wonderful woman, also made dandelion wine. She took weeds and turned them into a smooth, medicinal shot of warmth.

She handled the finances. My Grandfather worked hard, but he liked the lottery. Grandma wasn’t playing about keeping the house and everything running nicely, so she was about a budget and worked wonders. Once I asked her why she put mashed potatoes in her salmon cakes. She said “I had six people to feed with one can of salmon, had to stretch it.” Meanwhile, it’s culinary genius aka survival tactics.

She passed away when I was thirty-two. She was ninety-three and that’s a great run and what a blessing to have my Great-Grandma that long. But still, my heart aches, every day. I smile through tears thinking of how loving and patient she was with her family. I mean she forgave everyone for everything, because the most important thing for her, was having her family around her.

And her very matter of a fact, brilliant advice. One time I asked her if I was a bad person. “Of course not, why?” She couldn’t understand where that line of questioning would even come from. “If I’m not a bad person, then why do I fight with all my friends.” She looked at me so lovingly and said, “Maybe you expect too much of them.” Just dropping gems, with random babies hanging on her hips. I feel so blessed that this woman, though she had raised her children, numerous grandchildren and then, with that one extra room in the house, she saved her great-granddaughter and let her move in. I’m certain there were a million things she had planned on doing with her extra room. But, I’m grateful she allowed me to find refuge with her.