A song came to my mind as I was thinking about writing today's blog. "Over the river, and through the woods, to grandmother's house we go..." floated through the cobwebs. We would often sing this song as my family would head to Granny Ewen's house on Christmas day. As a matter of fact, best I can remember we always called it Granny Ewen's house, or going to Mam maw's house. I don't remember us ever calling it going to Granddad's house or Pap paw's house. Just as it was the females who told the family stories, I guess it was the females of our families who held things together. This was certainly true for Mam maw who worked her whole life to help keep us together...to manage her own family, and take care of Pap paw with his stroke, and to be a special grandmother to share those family stories.
Today, my brother and I still bring our own families to grandmother's house on Christmas Eve. My three girls with their own children still say that they are coming to Granny's house for Christmas. To Granny's house it is...filled with laughter, Scrabble games, Trivial Pursuit, and a life time of memories. Over the river, and through the woods, the horses certainly know the way.
It was always "grandmother AND granddaddy's house" for us...unless we were in a hurry and then, sure enough, it was grandmother's...no house added, just "Grandmother's"!
ReplyDelete