Grandma Sadie

I guess I thought I was the center of attention in this photo--leaning forward and all. I love this photo of my Grandma Sadie for a couple of reasons. The photo reminds me that she always wore a hairnet at home. She always wore dresses. And most of the time she would wear a necklace.

There has never been a kinder grandmother. There has never been a woman who knew clearly who God was, believed in his son Jesus and lived showing the spirit of God in her daily life. She was a great example for me.

She worked very hard as a farmer's wife. She also tended her chickens and grew a garden to feed her family. This tiny woman had eight children of which all graduated high school.






Here are a few other things I remember about my maternal grandmother.

• My grandmother did not have a middle name.
• She called to talk to my mother every night (it seemed). I wonder how she got through our wicked party line.
• You never left her home feeling hungry.
• She always gave me $2 every birthday.
• I lived with her the first six months of my life. We bonded.
• She told me she would die before my daughter was born in June of 1982. She told me she was ready. I told her to stop talking like that. She did pass before my daughter was born. It happened as she was being released from the hospital. She had a heart attack and died.
• That was one of the saddest days of my life.

Frank and Sadie Dugan with their eldest daughter Belva.

Significance: Whether good or bad, family makes an impact. This part of my family influenced me in many ways and they deserve to be remembered. Although, I was very young when my grandfather passed, my connection to him is strong. My grandmother treated me like royalty. How could I not feel loved?  She called my mother Sis. She called me Sis. My mom calls me Sis. I call my daughter Sis and sometimes my granddaughter. And my aunt and her delightful Texan accent was also a source of love and affirmation. Influence. Family members influence whether by genetics or by example. This is something we should consider when we interact with our own families.