Show and Tell Friday!

Kelli over at http://kellishouse.blogspot.com is having Friday Show and Tell. So today I thought I would show you someone who is very dear to me. My Grandmother. I know I have already written about her before, but she is just so amazing I am going to do it again. The above picture was taken last Sunday on Mother's Day. Tell me, does that beautiful lady look 95 to you?

Grandma was born in Christiansburg Virginia, May 15, 1912. Her father was killed in a train accident in 1911, 5 months before she was born. He had gone to get the family a Christmas tree and was taking a shortcut over the railroad trestle. Nobody knows for sure why he couldn't get off the trestle before the train hit him, maybe his foot was caught, nobody knows.

Grandma had 3 older siblings. When she was 15 months old, her brothers and neighbors child was playing with gas and matches. Somehow she got gas spilled on her and when her brother lit a match, her dress caught fire. When the neighbor looked out her window and saw Grandma on fire she ran and put the fire out. All that was left of the dress was the binding around the neck. Dr.s did not think she would live. She was burned from her neck to her knees. She had to lay in a sheet that was stretched over the tops of four chairs so that air could circulate around her for almost a year. She proved the Dr.s wrong, and continued to improve though she had to learn to crawl and walk all over again.

When she was 20 she met and married my Grandfather. My Dad was born one year later. Her happiness was not to last however. When my Dad was only three my Grandfather went into business with his brothers, who were not the most savory men around. Soon after he began to drink heavily and not come home at night. Grandma found out he had been seeing another woman. Not only had he been seeing this woman, the woman was also pregnant with his child. (Which she aborted). My Grandmother did something that was practically unheard of in the 1930's. she filed for divorce. Later, my Grandmothers sister came to live with her and together they raised my Dad.

Ten years later she met the man that I always considered to be my Grandfater. He worked with her and after a year of dating they married. They moved to Giles county to a farm where they lived happily until 1991 when my Grandfater passed away. Then Grandma moved to Roanoke to live closer to us.

Grandma turned 95 years old this past Wednseday. I made her a card and told her if you were to look up the "perfect grandma" in the dictionary, her picture would be there. I love and adore her so much and have been so blessed to have her in my life.