Guest post from my Lil Sis

Let me start off by first saying I am not a writer. My spelling is not up to par and my grammar... well let's just say I skipped English class far too much. But if you are willing to bare with me, please continue reading. [:

My sister, Brandy, asked me to write a post for her blog. It was either actual do it, or she was going to make up nonsense making herself look good; as if her ego needs to be rubbed anymore.

She and I are several years apart in age, 9 to be exact. We haven't always gotten along, sibling spats and what not. Even though there were times we would argue or she would be upset with me, we have always gotten along. Doesn't make much sense does it? It really used to be a love hate thing. Our mother, if you can even call her that, wasn't around very much after I was born. I have no idea how life was for my two sisters while mom and dad were still married, but once I was old enough to know what was going on, she wasn't around too often.

Brandy has always been a "mother figure" for me. Always there when I needed her in ways a normal sister shouldn't be. Standing up for me and having my back. Fighting battles because I was too scared to do so. Stating the obvious to other family members because who is going to believe the baby of the family? Anyway, my point is my sister and her husband, both have been a really big part in my life. They both have been my rock, my foundation, and my support. I don't know what I would do without either of them, even if it at times the ole' hubby is more than hard headed. [I blame it on the lack of estrogen, he just sometimes "doesn't get it."]

Aside from my sister Brandy and our other sister being that "mother figure" in my life... and aside from coming out of the same womb, we shared the same mother. Granny, was always our mother. Frances Earlene was our father's mother. I was just oh so blessed to be named after both my father and Granny, my middle name is also Earlene. I used to hate it. I would hate telling people what it was because it is so out-dated and... country. She passed away around this time last year, hardest moment of my life. When I received the phone call, I collapsed on the kitchen floor 6 months pregnant with my daughter. I cried and cried. You know the old saying, don't take things for granted because you never know when you will lose it? I feel that way. I should have went and visited more, called more. I should have been at the hospital with her. I shouldn't have given her such a hard time as I was growing
up.

Granny was a daughter, a sister, a mother, a wife, a grandmother, a great grandmother, a nanny, and a friend. She would done anything for her kids and by kids I mean anyone. She would have done anything for her own children, for their children, for their children's children and the ones she babysat. She was really soft hearted and couldn't ever stay mad. She would threaten to tell our dad on us, I guess hoping it would scare us into doing right, but she never told. She never disciplined me... I am not sure if she did my sisters, but she didn't me or the ones she babysat because we were "her babies".

She laughed at everything. I am not by any means stretching the truth, it was truly everything. If you picked with her, she would spat insults back. She was such a happy woman. There is not one time in my mind that stands out to where if she was upset you couldn't make her laugh. She loved to read and watch her "stories". She loved the drama in the soap operas. Days of Our Lives, Monday through Friday at 1 pm. If you made her miss it, she would gripe and complain and demand a soap operas digest magazine.

Growing up I remember her having 3 animals. A cat, that I can not remember the name of to save my life, a very scared skittish dog named Lady, and a parakeet named Pretty Boy. Some would say she treated them just like her kids, I still say she was insane. She was easily attached to people. She could make friends with anyone and every kid liked her. Maybe it was because she also doped us up on sugars and treats while we were around her, or maybe it was because she would let us get by with murder and be our perfect alibi... either way, she was a genuine lady.

I miss her. I miss her getting happy about her stuffed animals, about the great grand kids [she has 4 now and 1 great great grand child]. I miss her loving everything you gave her even if it was a pencil. She not only smiled with her mouth, but with her eyes, and her soul. I miss complaining of having to give her a kiss after a visit because her whiskers would tickle me and making fun of her for calling men that was young enough to be a grandchild her boyfriend. This was the first year she was not at Thanksgiving or Christmas [except for last year she was in the hospital but we did Christmas with her in January, before she passed away]. She loved the holidays... for the family, and for the food, can not forget about how much she enjoyed to eat. Even if she didn't like it, she would eat it. I took her a tuna sub from Subway one time, she was upset at first and then told me to "go ahead and give it here"... she ate it all with a smile on her face.

We don't have a lot of people in our family. We don't have anything to do with our mother's side and I don't think I've meet anyone on my father's side except for my aunt and uncle. We have a bit of a small family and granny was our glue. She always tried to keep the peace make sure we were all together. She was our "Big Momma". Maybe it is because Brandy took after granny a lot, not only with looks, but with values, morals, and personality, but I see a lot of granny in her. Now that Brandy has become a Mi-Mi... I know that my children will pick up on calling her that, and they will look up to her as I did my granny because my children's "granny" is no where to be found. I wish granny would have been able to meet my daughter. She would have loved all of her fat rolls, red hair, and big blue eyes. She would call all the great grand kids names like Butter Ball or Turkey... my dad gave my daughter the nick name "Beefy" because she was just an ounce shy of 9lbs when she was born, granny would probably have loved the nick-name "Beefy".

She was a wonderful woman. I wish we had more time with her. I wish things would have different that year. So much had happened prior and after it was by far the roughest year of my life. But, I know she is in a better place and no longer suffering. She is living on through my sister, and her family and friends.

(Wondering why I have a guest blogger? Besides having someone else do my dirty work, I'm also participating in TMM's guest blogger day. Thanks Lil Sis for doing this! You are a good sport...unlike S who didn't write a damn thing.)

(Sis and Beefy - Christmas 2008)