I've been going to Brownwood the past couple of weekends to help clean out my grandmother's house. That has been tough . . . really tough . However, one of the upsides of driving the 3 and 3/4 (one way) hour trip these past two weekends has been getting to spend time with my family (with whom -- while I was in grad. school -- I did not get to spend near enough time).
The past two Saturdays, my mom and I have gotten up early to go to the little farmer's market. It's small, but full of really good people, selling really fresh, organic (usually) produce at really great prices. There's a little bit of everything there -- squash, zucchini, tomatoes, sprouts, honey, eggs, flowers, and cantaloupe. I love supporting the local folks instead of the corporate grocery types. In fact, I would rather pay a bit more and know I am supporting someone local. The market is full of people who care about their gardens, their community, and their customers. It's so refreshing!
There's even a man who sells trees, and he has the most beautiful magnolia trees. I wish I had more money and I would buy one for my mom to plant in her yard in honor of my grandmother. I wish I had my own yard to plant one in, but I do not think it would do well in Lubbock anyway.
Lots of work to do today, but going to the market was a nice way to start an otherwise tough day.
26 June 2010
24 June 2010
If I could write the obituary for my grandmother:
Everything happened so quickly this just doesn't seem real. In fact, I think the newspaper has yet to publish an obituary because my mother has been too overwhelmed to gather all of the needed information. I am not an obituary reader or writer, so I am not entirely familiar with the requirements, but I am sure the newspaper has a pretty standard format. However, I do not think the standard format would do justice for her life, so if I were in charge of writing it, it would go something like this:
Mary Grace Goodfield Clark Eville -- Grace Eville to most people who knew and loved her -- went home to be the the Lord on June 10, 2010. She was born August 30, 1916 in Malmesbury, England and came to the United States in 1925, settling in the Mayfield Heights area of Ohio. She spent most of her life in Texas, living first in Pharr and later in Brownwood. She is survived by two daughters: Clara Roberta (Bobbie) Price and Mary Grace Gray; four grandchildren: Bonnie Leigh May, Nathan Ross Gray, Leesa Dawn May, and David Allen Gray; two great-grandchildren: Dorian Optimus Gray and Owen Lennon Gray; and several step-children and their children.
She served as an amazing example of the way life ought to be lived -- though in her humility she would never make such a claim. She lived simply; she shared everything she had with anyone who was in need; she spoke carefully and wisely; she expressed kindness in her eyes, words, and actions; she epitomized selflessness; she knew how to both make and take a good joke; she could keep a secret; she cared for her friends as if they were family; and she loved unconditionally. She had a passion for people, plants, and animals. Many-a-stray owes its life and well being to her devotion to rescuing the lost and forgotten. Anybody who met her could not help loving, appreciating, and enjoying this woman. She made the most of every hand that life dealt her; she took the good, she took the bad, and she met them both with the same openness and strength. She had her faults and struggles, like everybody does, but she did not allow them to rule the way she lived. She demonstrated how to live with hope and faith -- no situation was ever so dire as to justify running away, no problem was ever too large to be solved, no person was ever beyond redemption. She lived a happy and full life, and would want everyone she left behind to find the same kind of joy in each day they are given. Her name was apt -- for indeed she was a woman of grace.
Though she is dearly and acutely missed, she is now home with her Lord, her husband, and her parents. She leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, grace, and faith that those who are left behind hope to continue living out daily.
Mary Grace Goodfield Clark Eville -- Grace Eville to most people who knew and loved her -- went home to be the the Lord on June 10, 2010. She was born August 30, 1916 in Malmesbury, England and came to the United States in 1925, settling in the Mayfield Heights area of Ohio. She spent most of her life in Texas, living first in Pharr and later in Brownwood. She is survived by two daughters: Clara Roberta (Bobbie) Price and Mary Grace Gray; four grandchildren: Bonnie Leigh May, Nathan Ross Gray, Leesa Dawn May, and David Allen Gray; two great-grandchildren: Dorian Optimus Gray and Owen Lennon Gray; and several step-children and their children.
She served as an amazing example of the way life ought to be lived -- though in her humility she would never make such a claim. She lived simply; she shared everything she had with anyone who was in need; she spoke carefully and wisely; she expressed kindness in her eyes, words, and actions; she epitomized selflessness; she knew how to both make and take a good joke; she could keep a secret; she cared for her friends as if they were family; and she loved unconditionally. She had a passion for people, plants, and animals. Many-a-stray owes its life and well being to her devotion to rescuing the lost and forgotten. Anybody who met her could not help loving, appreciating, and enjoying this woman. She made the most of every hand that life dealt her; she took the good, she took the bad, and she met them both with the same openness and strength. She had her faults and struggles, like everybody does, but she did not allow them to rule the way she lived. She demonstrated how to live with hope and faith -- no situation was ever so dire as to justify running away, no problem was ever too large to be solved, no person was ever beyond redemption. She lived a happy and full life, and would want everyone she left behind to find the same kind of joy in each day they are given. Her name was apt -- for indeed she was a woman of grace.
Though she is dearly and acutely missed, she is now home with her Lord, her husband, and her parents. She leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, grace, and faith that those who are left behind hope to continue living out daily.
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