"Ma" ... She Lives On
I live in awe and celebration of our 'specialness' and uniqueness as human beings. Consequently, I have a catalogue of many fantastic personalities, each with its own signature quirkiness, stored in an abundant repository of “characters” in my mind!
February is the Month of Love.
I would like to share a story with you of my Grandma – Dad’s Mom!
She was “Ma” to everyone, regardless of perceived or real “status”. It didn’t matter who you were, you would be treated with exactly the same type of gruff, practical and generous kindness as anyone else.
She entertained academic and religious celebrities, “high-class” folks from any and all communities. Around the SAME dining table, she fed the homeless and many who were vulnerable and helpless. There was always a different child on the spare bed in my bedroom throughout the years. Once, one young beautiful orphan girl came, stayed, grew up, got married and had a wonderful life!
Though Ma was the least “educated” in a family of high-level academics, she was by far the wisest! Her mind was as wide open as her heart. Her sense of fairness and respect toward all humans was a beautiful thing to watch as a child.
Not only did I learn snippets of truth in sayings, slogans, “memes” (before they were “invented”) mostly created by her, I also experienced “how” she lived life.Her words and her attitude were in synch. What she said, she meant and what she meant, she said.
Just occurred to me … I can’t ever remember her using the word “LOVE” but her life was a living testimony to what perfectly-imperfect, true, human love could be.
She was humble, real, giving, powerful, motivated and fueled by PURE love and a pit-bull determination to help, however she could.
She did not judge! She was busy SHOWING (not talking). Loving – making a difference in lives, one life at a time.
From her, at a very young age, I learned truths like …
"People is People!"
"What’s in you’s gotta come out!"
“Your conscience is your pillow.”
“Nothing’s forever.”
“Be in awe of no one. Respect everyone.”
“Carrying unforgiveness and strife is like carrying a “dead man”, a rotting corpse on your back.”
“There’s one God, and it ain’t you or me!”
She’s been gone for over 30-something years yet connection to her through memories is even stronger now than before. I was a child before. I am now her age when I was a child. Her words “grew me up”, in her physical absence.
What a gift the ability to make and recall memories is! We can dive in there and splurge on gazillions of happy memory-bank moments! If I could be a fraction of the woman she was, I would be humbly honored.
Thank you for hearing my heart-story about “Ma”!
Image Sources:
Loving Hands, Fields, Meme are my original works.
Deepest gratitude to Paula, @beeyou who I swear is cut from similar cloth to my Grandma! Your help with formatting was a "gift"! From "Her" and me ... THANK YOU!
My Mother's mother died before I was born, but was always present in our kitchen and backroom until almost the seventies, when all the oldies had died and only my parents and her words were still there. Every adult who passed through our house knew her or had married someone who knew her. She was a nurse before there were 'nurses' back in nineteenth century and was also great friends with my Father's mother, who I met often until she also passed on in 1960. Both my parents were young of old parents, and all my aunts and uncles passed on of old age before my parents. I sometimes have a feeling of myself being extremely old, and in my minds eye can call forth the descriptions of Boer fortrekkers from nineteenth and early twentieth century, Kashmir in the English days of anxiety of Russian infiltration, as if Kipling were in the next room having a sherry with the aunts. The generations seem so short today, and many of my family's children do not have evenings around a fireplace memories of yesteryear or even yester day when Brisbane flooded in 2011, let alone Brisbane flooding in 1974, and Cyclone Tracy, and Santa never making it into Darwin is just a laugh. Ah well. Perhaps some of my writing will get read in later years. 👌
How very true @simon62 - we need to bring back the evenings around the fire and listening to the elders!
This posting of stories seems to be the new evening's. But I'm afraid. Scratch that! I will not look negatively upon the deadbeats, they too are wonderful people who just need to understand that 😇😂.
--There are it seem to be a great many shallow posts, that bring little but a brief connection on first viewing, then slide on into obscurity fast as more posts line up to be perused. For example : I have written short posts to a couple of photographers. Lovely pictures, yes¿ what of¿ scenery, yes, but where¿ in what direction is the camera pointed? At sunset, midday, it sun-rising, did daylight make a difference? Like, what is that shadow ~ there ?
--Then there was a wonderful 'very' short story that ended ¿¿ -so, what happened? Did I just waste time putting interest and time into - nil end? 😆 Ah, well. One day a genius IT manipulator will create an INDEX robot so anything can be found within steemit, at a few seconds, instead of scrolling hours. 😉
you do make a good point there - when talking about the shallow posts and brief connection. You've made me think if I do this? LOL very enlightening - and as far as the index robot! THAT would be awesome !and a useful bot ;-)
Yes, am not against the use of robots, just unoverseen ones. They should not earn until after human discussion, and they should not have any ability to post to humans other than ~ Please explain¿ - the reply to that is then the opening of a publicly seen discussion, with the driver responsible, not on another site behind 'who knows what shield or robotic cover.' But, hey, what do I know¿ I'm an untutored elder newbie. 😃
lol well as untutored and new as you are - you do make a good point! ;-)
Thank-you. Keep on keeping on. 😇
Your grandma sounded like she was very extraordinary woman, @simon62! You are also a very good story teller. I look forward to more of your writing!
Thank-you. I have told a few never heard before, but firstly I have been posting excerts my gran left me when she passed on. Well actually left my Mum, but then when Mum passed on, I ended up with these. Before xmas are excerts of WW1 recipes I learned cooking on while being disciplined, as boys often need, with learning grammar and conduct and manners, and speaking and writing, as the old veterans and Adults in the kitchen were always reminding me were more important than all other pursuits and once I had those basics I might be fit to be allowed out into society without humiliating myself or bringing censure. 😆 With the WW1 almost 100 years over, these old manners are fast disappearing, so I have posted the short basics in Edwardian language in excerts from a Victorian encyclopaedia that was a collection of the knowledge of the country folk put together for the very reason I have posted these, that this conduct and manners not disappear, as it is of the people, for the people. Some of the robot drivers thing it too plagiaristic. But as I have not claimed it mine, and have not given the whole but just excerts for honouring our ancestors, I can not see their problems. Much of this info is still useful to us bushies who do not live in cities or suburbia or within close call of 'civilisation.'
-- My time with access to this site can get very limited also, because not everywhere has Access. There is still much dead ground in this country and I imagine elsewhere in our global village. Be well. Keep posting, and backing up to external ai 😂
Congratulations you have been upvoted because you, or a friend left a post in the NewbieResteem Post promotion Box. Discord Chat channel post Promotion Box.
Nice tribute to two people. "People is People!" Can you just imagine what the world would be like if people only looked at people as people. A saying I have strived to live upto for a very long time. Your "MA" Grandma was indeed a wise person.
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@bashadow, thank you for taking the time to help me honor Ma, by taking a stop and a read! You would have liked her and her you! Just how she was, and I suspect, you would have responded in like fashion! "Genuine" is fairly irresistible and it can't be faked!
Thank you again for your patient help and support!
Of course, Upvoting ... have to practise Manual Vote Slider ... getting better at it! Didn't work so I did 100% Vote. It's very worth it! Thanks to you and @lynncoyle1
Hey @kismet2018, I absolutely love this post, and I love your Ma :) She sounds like my grandma, and certainly my kind of people! I try to live my life a lot like her (and I think you as well, my friend;). In fact I always told my boys growing up that I never needed all the details of their day, but as long as they could comfortably lay their head on their pillow at night and feel good about everything they'd said or done during the day, then that was good enough for me. Sounds a lot like Ma :)
And congratulations for winning @beeyou's contest. I just won a contest from @terminallyill and won the same thing, so you and I can fumble through it's meaning together. I left you a message in the comments at beeyou's 'winner' post as well :)
And a big congrats for getting @curie's attention...that's a biggie!!
Cheers :)
So sorry, dear Girl! Just saw your comment. Still getting used to finding things on this site. I know more than I did which was zip, but there is so much more to learn. Loving all of it though! I get to meet amazing people like you! That's what life's about - my life anyway, on and off Steemit! There is nothing richer than human connection, especially when in my core, I know it's never random, accidental or meaningless! That core attitude makes every single encounter something beautiful, almost sacred! Love it all!!!
Huge congrats on winning @terminallyill's contest! Was in there showing my "nothing" minnow support with everything I had!!! I LOVED YOUR POST! Moved me to the core, again!
If our Grandmas could send strength to you right now, you know they are! In their absence, we are here for each other!
Aww thank you so much! And no worries about 'just' finding my comment here now. I know exactly what it's like. I'm glad you loved the post too; I just posted an update on Brian this morning fyi.
And don't ever think your support is "nothing"...it the idea behind it for me anyway; and there will come a time where we will both be powerhouses here :)
Your Ma would be proud of the woman you are now, Sharon. She sounds amazing and a giver to all who crossed paths with her. I'm glad you are able to share this story with others. It would be a shame for it to be seen in my personality contest post. No one will see it there. ;)
You're welcome with the little help I gave with the formatting. The story and heart is all yours. Be proud.
@Paula @beeyou, you are a Ma's kinda people!
Thank you for running the "Personality Contest" for us to "play"! You read the story and honored it by suggesting a way it could be told to more people! You then proceeded to help me get it "blog-ready"! Yep, she would have really liked you! Thank you, very much!
I would have liked her too @kismet2018. You brighten my day with your positivity. Small gesture of thank you back. :)
What a wonderful person she was and you are! She reminds me a lot of my Nana. Her sayings are perfect, I couldnt pick just one to talk about, they all have their place! I think the world is missing a lot of them Ma's and Nana's so its mighty important for us to continue to pass down that knowledge to the future generations. Im sure she would be very proud of you and the woman you have become as I can tell you took her advice to heart and soul. Great post, just what I needed today! <3
@smylie2005, I thank you for taking the time to read about her! Thank you for sharing the joy of the memory with me!
One day, memories are all we will have and what an amazing thing are! We choose them! We choose what we bringing to the present with freshness like it was yesterday!
This "memories-recall" ability is remarkable! We can choose to use with impunity, enjoy, revel, honor, laugh, be grateful ... or not! Our choice!
Thank you again for your thoughtful and kind feedback!
Youre most welcome! Thank you for sharing it with us! :)
What wonderful advice we can learn from your Ma. Your memories of her are full of love and fondness. Sounds to me like she's a cool grandma everybody wished they have ;)
This amazing post was nominated to, and upvoted by @curie. Support what we do by voting Curie as a witness
@deborism, please pardon and forgive my abject cluelessness!
My dear benefactor and guide through this process, Paula @beeyou, helped me understand the significance of your Upvote and generous attention. She explained @curie! All I can say is a genuine, grateful and heartfelt - THANK YOU AND "WOW", from "Ma" and me!
Though I've been thinking since I posted, she would be uncomfortable with all of this ... She would be telling me get off my phone (I Steemit from my phone) and let's go "meet people", "do something"!
Little would she know, the attitude and spirit that fueled her heart and soul, are alive, very well and generously abundant on this amazing platform!
You've created one very happy, still morbidly clueless minnow!
Please let me know what I can do to help! I am eager and willing I just need guidance and pointing in the right direction. Helping and making a difference will always be my driving force, so please let me know how I can help!
Meanwhile, deepest Thank you, @curie, @deborism and most of all Paula @beeyou, without whose help, Ma's story wouldn't have been shared!
No worries. Keep producing great content :) You're doing awesome @kismet2018
Debbie!!! @deborism, thanks so much! How incredible that you submitted this piece from @kismet2018!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Worth it. If it's not for the amazing you, I wouldn't have known about this piece <3 thank you :)
Team effort @deborism! @curie has my small SP witness vote. I support any one or group that support everyone on here (newbie or veteran) and give them an opportunity to share their story to others.
I am deeply appreciative of your appreciation and support @deborism!
She was quite an extraordinary woman and I am honored to have known her and to have spent my formative years in her sphere of influence ... in her life!
Like she said, "Nothing's forever", so I am glad she gave life her best and we got to learn from her living example!
Thank you again for the nomination and Upvote! Not sure what it all means, but thank you!
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Hello and thank you @bitgeek!
You are giving me great info here but my minnow-ignorance precludes me from fully appreciating what you are saying.
Sounds like I've accomplished something! How gloriously wonderful, yet I don't fully get it! Feel free to bring me up to speed on what's just happened.
I thank you for stopping by and taking note of this post!
That is a power quote that can change the society. If people can put into action what they say, I think there will be reduction in snakes under the green grass (hypocrisy).
Yes, I agree @pjunlimited! I think that's what we call "integrity"! It's a good thing when we find it in others and we have scored, when we find it in ourselves! "Character" outweighs "Reputation" in my opinion. Someone said "Reputation is what people think we are. Character is who we really are." What people think of us is none of our business, because they might be right or wrong, but it doesn't change who we really are inside.
So yes, saying what we mean and meaning what we say are all choices we make based on our character and integrity! Same for the "other guy"!
Thank you for stopping by and your feedback!
I think you are right, in this present society, characters doesn't match reputation. You will see a successful man with bad character and attitude towards his surroundings.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story of your Ma with us. She was a wise woman indeed. Great post!
Congratulations, you have been upvoted and resteemed as part of #newbieresteemday's top 10 posts for the day!
Many thanks #newbieresteemday! Your encouragement and support are deeply appreciated!
Being kind to others doesnt cost a thing. Thank you for sharing your grandma's story with us! Great post by the way! 😀
@andywong, I don't believe we have met! Lovely to meet you now and huge thank you for stopping by and kindly commenting on this little story about "Ma"!