Minnie

In January Minnie died. It's a little off the rest of the blog, but I'd like to list the things I remember and think of when I think of Minnie...

The first time I remember meeting Minnie was one Sunday when we visited Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church (The Hill Church) in Suches, Ga. Carlton Coker was the pastor of the church at the time. Minnie introduced herself to me, and the first thing I noticed was her strong, firm handshake. I spoke with her several times over the next few years whenever we would visit the church.

Eventually Everett became pastor of the church in Suches, and I got to know Minnie much better on a more personal level. She was faithful to God, her church, her family and her friends. I'd like to just mention the things I think of when I think of her....

Her strong handshake and warm hugs.
The spread she usually had on the table for Sunday dinner (for the three of us, Jimmy and herself) - she'd have the table loaded...an example of typical Sunday dinner with Minnie would be...fried chicken, canned deer (that she did herself), greens, turnips, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese (homemade), yams (peeled and done herself), biscuits and cornbread, corn, green beans, peas, homemade pickles, deviled eggs, congealed salad and strawberry shortcake. And most of the vegetables were grown in her own garden.
Her beautiful quilts, done during the winter usually when she wasn't called upon to work in the fields.
She was an artist, she loved doing her quilts, painting, her music, singing and playing the guitar.

She was like a mother to me when my own mother had gone down into the debilitating darkness of alzheimer's.

I think of her on Easter. We spent several Easter Sunday's with her family. I guess that's what had me thinking of her now, we just passed Easter, and I couldn't help but remember that her family wouldn't be spending Easter with her this year, and knowing how much they were probably missing her.

I feel privileged to have known her, and I hope she knew I felt that way.