Granny

My earliest recollection of "granny" was when, as a small child, my sister and I were taken to her house due to mother’s "illness". She said "I’ll bet that doctor left a baby at your house. He usually does that when a mother gets sick." I don’t recall wondering where the doctor got the babies.

Granny was a curious mixture of Christian, fortune teller and "worldly" person, seemingly vacillating between them. During most of my aquaintance with her she smoked a corn cob pipe. On occasion she used it openly, then at times was secretive about it.

A chronic complainer, especially about physical ailments, one would assume she was never in good health, except that she occasionally was in good spirits, and acted normally, only to suddenly resort to the usual complaining. It seemed as though she was caught off guard.

Both Baptists and Pentecostals claimed here, though she was of littlehelp to either, and was often the object of their charity. When such groups met in her home she could be quite religious and meaningful prayer services were reported there.

At such time the pipe was not in evidence. However, in her fortune telling role, it impressed those who came for such soothsaying. I cannot attest to her adeptness at this, but I heard many went to her.

She professed belief in prayer and in God. Since she was always saying how needy she was but in an artful way, one wondered if her faith was as deep or genuine as she professed.

One instance always amused me. She was eating at our house and during the meal was telling about God’s providence for her. She told God in prayer how she needed potatoes and a short time later, a man brought a sack of potatoes. But what she didn’t say was, that she had made sure the man heard her prayer, and that she had more than once used this tactic to have "God" supply her need!

While I’m told the statement "God helps those who help themselves" is not a biblical quote, it does seem to have biblical support. And granny believed in "helping God help herself".

My mother visited her faithfully, often taking her food or clothing she could ill afford to give. She would throw up to mother what others did for her, or gave to her as if she had no concern, and what they did was better, instead of being thankful. But mother patiently continued despite unappreciation.

The worst was when granny told others we did little or nothing for her, apparently to gain sympathy and additional handouts from them. But a life-long practice of deceit cannot go on completely hidden. In the end, she died practically friendless. Even charitable persons become tired of "being used".

Her funeral was a sad one; not sadness because of her passing, but the lack of mourning. Few cared. It appeared as though many were relieved by her passing. Not many came, either relatives or acquaintances.