Wednesday, May 5, 2010

LaVerne Nelson

One year ago, I was sitting in a hospital room with my dear, sweet grandmother (Gram). I'd flown to Dallas then driven to Waco straight to the hospital. My sister and I stayed the night. I'll never forget looking into her sweet eyes and although she could not speak, the look of recognition staring back at me said it all.
My Gram always had a plate of brownies waiting for me when I would stop by on my way home from college. Her home served as the perfect bathroom break/stretching stop between Austin and Dallas. She used to leave the funniest messages on my voicemail. I don't think she ever got the concept because she would basically have a one-sided conversation with me, complete with questions that would just hang in the air. I miss those.
I think we became the closest when I spent one year coaching basketball in a town just outside of San Antonio. It was a very lonely year for me, and due to the fact that I was working two jobs and lived 5 hours from Dallas, my closest "home" was Waco and Gram's house. I tried new recipes with her and she told me old stories from her past. I miss those weekends too.
Today and every Cinco de Mayo from here on out will always be a bittersweet day of memory.

1 comment:

Luckyjim said...

A touching tribute to your Gram.
She was a sweet lady.