She was 17 days older than me. We grew up in the same house so that should tell you that we were pretty close. Our bond at that time was the epitome of cousins being your first best friend. Charlotte Theresa Woodley was the life of any party and everyone loved her. I don’t need to tell anyone of the kind of person she was because if your knew her, you already know. The last time we spoke, it ended with I love you. I won’t get to say it again except to the sky. I love you! I will see you soon.
Category Archives: family
Feelings
When I was around 7 years old, this curly haired dude with a limp came into my life. In the summer, we had our morning trips to his cousins tavern, which was closed during the day, so he could either work or shoot the shit. Not sure which, but I was given quarters to play in the little arcade that was in there until it was time for us to go so I didn’t care. My mom, him and I took drives in a big old, green Lincoln to do weekly shops and stuff. He was into his cars. In fact..I got yelled at all the time when I would drive up home and my car would be the dirtiest thing ever. He was the closest thing to a father that I had since my biological father was never there. Even though we had our ups and downs, he still remained in my life after my mom and his relationship ended. (I question whether it REALLY ended most of the time. lol) He still kept up with me and called me on my birthday each year just to stay in touch. In a way, I took that for granted. I never thought he truly cared until recently when I was one of the first calls made to make me aware of being in the hospital due to COVID-19. Anyway…thank you for being in my life John L. Peoples. I will never get the chance to tell you that. Rest in Peace.
What a summer
Whew! What a summer I’ve had. It was full of stress and eventually peace of mind. One of the big things that I did was finally sell my mother’s house.
I realize that I have been holding on to my mother’s house because it was one of the last remaining things that I could physically see and touch. I struggled with the decision because of that but in the end…I couldn’t afford to keep it. Not only that, but when I finally went back this summer, it just did not feel like hers anymore. The place needed a lot of work and when I walked in, I just couldn’t feel her presence there anymore. I know that is a weird thing to say, but it’s true. I knew almost instantly that I was ready to let go. So, it is done and I am at peace with the decision.
Also, I had not been getting my hair relaxed for the last two years. In my heart, I knew I didn’t really love that decision but I decided to give it a try. Well, my hair had been doing somewhat ok, but this summer it went crazy. It started falling out non-stop. Nothing I did was saving it or making it better. It was just hard to manage and take care of. Somedays, there were tears shed at the thought of having to even do it. I finally made the decision with the help of my hairdresser to put my relaxer back in and I felt so good after it was done! I felt like myself again.
So between selling my house and getting my hair situation, all is so much better than when July first hit. I’m ready for the holiday season!
Til next time….
My Grandmother
It’s my late grandmother’s birthday. I was reminded of this by my aunts on Facebook, and I’m glad I was. I called my grandmother, Mun. I’m pretty sure it is because my mother and her siblings called her Ma, but I mistook it for Mun. Now I just consider it my special name for her. My grandmother passed away when I was seven years old. I had such love for her.
I still remember things that we did. I remember her making me cornbread and buttermilk, and even pig ears in vinegar. This is stuff I would NEVER eat now. My mom and aunts said that I was a picky eater and would never eat a lot of things, so my mun would just make me biscuits and I would always eat that.
I was with my grandmother a lot when I was a baby. I loved spending the night at her house. Her and my mom were the most influential people in my life. I just remember how strong she was as a single woman (widowed) with eleven children. You didn’t mess with her either. I never heard her complain about a thing. She was an avid church goer and dragged all of her kids and grand kids along with her. It was a huge family and she managed to keep us all together. There are so many stories that I could probably share, but ultimately I just want to say Happy Birthday, Mun. I love you. I think of you a lot. I hope that you and my mom are having the best time on your day.
Til next time….
HBOGirl 