Remembering...

Emmy has this habit of twirling her feet. She does it all the time. It's actually really cute...and for the longest time, I tried to remember why it looked so familiar to me. Then...I remembered.

Growing up, there was an older lady that lived across the street from my family. Her name was Florence Austin. I was lucky enough to call her Grandma.

She wasn't really my Grandma. But I didn't care. She felt like my grandma. She was sweeter to me than anyone I knew, and I loved going across the street and spending hours at her house.

Sometimes I would go over early enough that she hadn't put her dentures in yet. I remember I use to go into her bathroom, and her teeth would be sitting by the sink in a plastic cup of blue water.

She use to make me fried eggs, sunny-side up. She made them better than anyone. Still to this day, I can't eat them. They just aren't as good as hers.

We use to play Cootie and Skip-Bo at her kitchen table. She always let me win.

She use to wear polyester pants and sweaters with crocheted flowers on them. She loved the color blue.

She ordered Avon and I could always guarantee that she would have flower shaped soap in her bathroom and that I would get a flavored Avon chapstick at Christmas.

She came to every single birthday party I ever had.

She had a blue couch in her t.v. room that she use to sit at and do hours of plastic canvas. She taught me how to do it with her. She use to make tissue box holders and barbie furniture. The barbie furniture was for me. I still have every single piece. It is one of my most cherished and prized possessions. She made me a bedroom set and a living room set. A tub, sink, and toilet, a refrigerator and stove. I had the dining room table and chairs, an entertainment center, lamp, and t.v. I knew each piece took hours to complete. I also knew how much she loved me.

She died when I was fourteen. I still miss her every single day.

One day, while folding the laundry and watching this little beauty play on the floor twirling her feet, I remembered. My Grandma Florence use to twirl her feet anytime she was sitting down. Whether it was while playing Cootie, or eating birthday cake at my house. Singing Hymns during sacrament meeting, or watching t.v. on her blue couch...she was constantly twirling her feet.

I smiled as I thought about Emmy sitting with my Grandma Florence in heaven, waiting to come to earth and join our family. I'm sure she told Emmy all about me. I'm sure she stayed with her until she was ready.

I'm also just as sure she taught my Emmy how to twirl her feet :)