Personal Childhood Web- Granny

My great-grandmother, Della Owens, was a truly amazing woman. She was widowed in her early forties and left to raise and support six children, working many jobs to do so. By the end of her life, at the age of 94, she had outlived four of her own children. I was one of her many great-grandchildren, but somehow I felt like I was the only one. I often spent the night with her in her apartment in a retirement community. She always had bean soup and cornbread hot and ready for dinner. She would let me walk around and explore her community, getting candy from the other residents. Her hugs were out of this world, the kind that you can feel in your soul. At night, we would sometimes still be cold under her electric blanket. She would tell me to put my feet on the backs of her legs to keep them warm. Even in her very old age, she was always putting the well-being of others before herself. Even though her life was filled with tragedy, she was eternally grateful for everything that she had, which wasn't much. The matriarch of the family, she nurtured and loved everyone. A few members of the family struggled with alcoholism and/or drug use. She never turned her back on them and always had faith that the Lord would intervene. Her influence of faith and endurance is still and inspiration to me. I feel so grateful to have come from such a strong woman.