Circa. 1920

"Gertrude Monroe Circa ; 1920" is written on the back of this family photo.  We knew her as "Mam maw".

She was born August 11, 1904, and she would be around 16 years of age when this picture was taken.  I have never thought of Mam maw as ever being a teenager until this picture crossed my path this morning.  Flipping through a stack of family pictures, this one caught my attention.  Mam maw as a teenager!  What a deal.  She certainly looks like she is ready to go to where ever life was to lead.  Maybe it was one of those first dates with Pap paw.  Hair fixed, purse in hand, and a hat of some sort that helped block the sun from the eyes.  I am ready to go...she seems to be saying.   There is a lot of life yet to live.   She certainly did.

She died March 17, 1989 at the age of 84 years.  She introduced me to cinnamon toast, coffee, and a great number of family stories that remain alive in my heart.  Thanks Gertrude Monroe Circa. 1920...it is good to see you as a teenager.  Your coffee cup sits on my mantel as I write... still dancing with your stories.

The Later Days

Ten days shy of her 95th birthday, Granny Ewen (Stella Morton Ewen) died March 1, 1994. At my present age of 60 years, that means she lived longer than my childhood, high school, college years, medical school years, residency, 2 year fellowship, and a few years faculty, as if I were just now starting them! Wow, that is a long time.

"Granny", as we usually called her, lived in a log cabin as a child. She grew up in the hills of Eastern Kentucky, and saw the world change as we never knew it. I once asked her what she thought was the most amazing change she had experienced during her life time. "The light bulb", she said. Who would have thought?

She birthed 12 children, mostly all at home. She lived in Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Indiana, and moved the family roughly 35 times. She loved flowers, cooking, and making fruit cakes for Christmas. She was a Kentucky Colonel!

The picture to the right shows Granny at my Mom's home during the last years of her life. She was very hard of hearing, and refused to wear one of those ear gadgets. My Mom, and her Mom shared these later days. At my very last visit to Granny's bedside, she did not really recognize me, and thought I was a minister. I held her hand, and we prayed, thanking God for these later days.