Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Nov. 27, 2007

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Nov. 27, 2007
Have you figured out what you are giving everyone on your Christmas list? I have received an early gift this year and I must say it is one of the most wonderful gifts that I have ever received. It was not extremely costly but it took a lot of time and thought, and I am not sure that I deserve that much effort.
I never had the opportunity to know my Dads mom, Elizabeth White, since she died ten years before I was born. From what I have heard from those who knew her, she was a very special woman. Dad held her in high regard and loved her dearly. My grandparents were not wealthy in terms of money, but they were rich in children and family. They had high moral standards and worked hard. If we can ever find anything that belonged to them it is very precious to any of the grandchildren. Granddad White burned down his home (well, not on purpose) is the reason that we do not have many items left to remember them by. (Granddad house is another story entirely) Many of the other grandkids knew Grandma White quite well- My cousin Sheryl and I would talk for hours about how much we would have liked to have known Grandma White and wondered if she would have liked us. We were pretty sure she would have as everyone else said she was a kind and loving person, after all she had six children and she was used to noise and tall tales and she loved them.
My cousin, Margaret Greene, is one of these people who can do anything. She can cook, sew, she is an artist, and a published author, she is intelligent and to top it off she is pretty. Anyway, she had a necklace that was Grandmas. As I said before Grandma did not have a lot of expensive jewelry and what she had was probably not valuable to anyone else, but to her. Given that Grandma has been gone for over 58 years there is not many things left that was hers. Margaret took the beads of Grandma’s necklace and made each one of the granddaughters a necklace. (Oh, did I forget to mention that she makes beautiful jewelry, too?) Each necklace was distinctive just like each of us are different. Some are shiny and others are plain- Some larger than another- some small and petite, but each necklace was just beautiful. She did not stop there she made each of us a card with a portrait of Grandma White that she had drawn and a touching note to tell us about Grandma. I can not tell you how much the necklace, card and note has meant to me. For once, I was almost speechless.
Since it is the Christmas season and you are stumped by what to give that special someone. Maybe you have something in your jewelry box or tool box that you could fix up for them. I have heard of people making picture frames out of barn wood of the family barn, just make sure that the barn is not in use anymore, and do not be ripping off any boards that just might be the support board of the whole barn, you could get hurt. There are so many things that can be done once you put your mind to it. It is fun to try to come up with something clever. Nothing is more meaningful than a gift from the heart.
Life is really tough at its best and when someone does something kind it makes life worth living.