Ellen Beatrice Owens

I had to take a moment out of working on the revisions of Skeletons because I received a phone call from my daughter telling me that my grandmother passed away in her sleep Friday night.  Instantly my mind drew a blank and all that I could think about was my mother.  My mother is a very emotional person so when bad news hits we have to be sure the break it to her in the most gentle way possible.

I've been trying to write since I got the news, but my mind is so clouded with junk that I find it impossible so I've just been mindlessly surfing the web wasting valuable time and energy.  My in-laws took the baby to church so that I could finally rest, write or just be, but when I wrote I wrote a few bits in memorial of a great woman who was no taller than 5'2.  My grandmother was the pillar of strength, but she always carried herself with dignity and remained a lady at all times.  Granny use to make the most delicious food from scratch and her homemade barbecue sauce use to be the talk of the town.  I love my grandmother, she was a great woman and I will miss her greatly.

Grandma, I apologize

Grandma, you would be mad at me, but I buy frozen pies made in some factory

in New Jersey because I don't know how to make them from scratch as a

matter of fact, I don’t know how to make anything from scratch

You would be mad at me because sometimes I forget to sit with my legs closed.

You would be mad at me because sometimes I forget to say the Lords prayer before

I go to bed at night.  Grandma, you would be mad at me because sometimes I go

to bed with the dishes unwashed and I leave the house without combing my hair.

For those things I apologize.

But grandma, you would be proud of me because through all of the things that I don't do

I still remember the most important lesson that you taught me, how to love.

See grandma we grew up without a lot of luxuries, we didn't wear designer clothes and

shoes and we didn't live in the nicest house on the block; however,  for what we lacked

in material things you taught us to make up for those shortcomings with love. And that is

the lesson that I teach my own children, material goods only last a short while but love

lasts a life time and for that I thank you.