happy birthday, grandma gracie.

today is the birthday of the woman who passed on her love of photography to me.
the woman who loved Jesus with every fiber of her being and made it known to everyone she met.
the woman who is my hero: my grandma gracie.

this picture encompasses my grandma to a T. first of all, that pink nail polish. there was always nail polish on the table. then there are all of the magnets on her fridge. she would let us kids play with them and tell us the stories behind where they came from. next are the animals/dolls on top of the fridge and on the wall. she made all of those. she was always crocheting some quirky animal. and finally, her sitting there holding a pillow she made. classic grandma gracie. notice the purple flowers. (now you know who i get it from)

today would have been her 82nd birthday.
she has been celebrating her birthdays in heaven for quite some time now.

wasn't my grandma a betty? (if you can name that movie, give yourself ten cool points)

everything reminds me of her:
the color purple -- it was her favorite, as is mine.
crocheting -- she was always making something.
hot rolls and dunkaroos -- she made awesome rolls and always had dunkaroos for me and dustin.
church -- everytime i walk by her sunday school class, i smile.
my daddy -- he has her kindness and knowledge of the bible.
and angels -- because she is one.

i miss her so much. memories flood my mind every time i walk on the soil where her house stood. the smell of her house. her sewing machine with fabric and thread, always making something for someone. her dog, shorty. riding our bikes on her sidewalk. i was so young. i had no idea that years later, i would give anything to just talk to her. to get her advice--her words of wisdom.

she made a difference in everyone's lives. just ask the people who knew her. they have story after story of something funny she did or said. her favorite comeback line when someone did something wrong was,
"but their mama loves them."

 this is written on the wall of her old sunday school classroom. 

i am so thankful for the impact she had on my life, her faith, and her love for Jesus.