Happy Birthday Meme!

Happy Birthday Meme - 90 years young today!

We had such a great time celebrating my grandmother's birthday this past Sunday. She knew there was a party planned for her after church, but she had no idea the whole family and a lot of friends had been invited to join her at church that morning. She was overjoyed when so much of her family and Pop's family from Newnan came in on Sunday morning. Even Aunt Nell was able to come; at 90 herself, she is Pop's youngest (of 13!) and last surviving sibling, and Meme was thrilled to see her. Of course, she loved seeing all her great-grandchildren too! We all enjoyed a wonderful worship service together, and then we headed to the fellowship hall and patio to enjoy a BBQ lunch and let Meme visit with everyone who came to honor her. Here are just a few of the many pictures taken.

Ryan snapped a picture of the patio before anyone got out there. We were all so thankful for a beautiful day.

One of Meme's delicious cakes. This one was a strawberry cake while the other one was vanilla.
The birthday girl enjoys having Happy Birthday sung to her.

Everyone gathers to sing. We think there were about 200 people altogether.

Meme's three boys have a special way of serenading her!

Meme always had African Violets on her windowsill at her house that she and Pop lived in since the mid-60's before she moved to Smyrna Towers a few years ago. All her grandchildren (that's my generation) remember seeing these every time we would visit their house. Jodi had the great idea of having all the great-grandkids decorate clay pots and putting African Violets in to use as table decorations. Here are three of the pots in front of a beautiful picture of Meme. See if you can guess which two Lily and Mia made.

This the bouquet of 90 long-stem roses that our family friend, Doug Bowles, sent for the occasion. This picture doesn't do them justice; they were truly stunning.

More beautiful decorations; I love this picture of Meme when she was in her early 20's!

Meme with her three sons and their families.

Meme with Lily and Mia. My girls absolutely adore Meme. She lives pretty close to us, and just about every time we drive past the apartment tower, they will start pointing and saying "Meme's house! Meme's house!" They love every visit with her; I'm sure it has nothing to do with the snacks she gives them each time!

I love Meme!

Meme with her 11 great-grandchildren; they range in age from 2 to 13.

Meme with her younger brother, Roy. Her two older sisters, Margie and Doris, have passed away.

Meme with her boys; my dad is on the top left, Joe is on the top right and Randy is sitting next to Meme. She and Pop raised three great men!

Meme with her five grandchildren.

What a wonderful day celebrating an amazing woman!

I have so many wonderful memories of Meme. I'm sure most of you know a lot of them revolve around food. I used to spend the night at Meme and Pop's house a lot when I was a kid. One thing I loved was that just a little before bedtime, Meme would give me a snack of either Nilla Wafers and peanut butter or Graham Crackers dipped in milk. Both of my girls call Graham Crackers "Meme crackers" because she still has them in her apartment and shares them each time we visit. Growing up, Meme used to cook for the whole family (that would be her sons and their families) every Thursday night. I have eaten at a lot of good restaurants, but nothing compares to eating at Meme's! In the last week, I have made both of the the first two things Meme taught me how to cook: grilled cheese sandwiches one night and scrambled eggs another; simple, but delicious! Her meals were a lot more involved though: fried chicken, country ham, country fried steak, chicken salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, cornbread, fried okra, corn, green beans, lima beans, jello salads...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Thank you for always feeding us a delicious meal.

Meme has always shown me the importance of a true relationship with the Lord. I vividly remember going to her house and seeing 5 Bibles, each a different translation, sitting on the ottoman of her chair, so she could read and study to deepen her faith. I remember being in her living room as she taught me my first Bible verse (John 3:16). She often gave her grandkids Bibles at important times in our lives. In the front of each one, she would sign her name and write a verse that she wanted us to think about and keep in our hearts. In one that she gave me, she inscribed Proverbs 3:5-6; I have grown to cherish this verse, and I thank Meme for leading me to it. Meme has a Christlike servant's heart that I have never seen in anyone else. She faithfully taught Sunday School for over 50 years; I am so proud that she was my Sunday School teacher for 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. I can't begin to count the number of people's lives she has touched over the years, and the impact she has made for God's Kingdom. Thank you Meme for such a great example of how to be a Godly woman, wife and mother. You are truly an inspiration.