It’s Thanksgiving Eve and although I’ve been making strides to eat healthier, I am in my kitchen making my Grandmother’s nothing-but-unhealthy-no-bake cookies.  These are ugly, amoeba shaped, brown blobs with enough sugar, butter, and chocolate to make Paula Deen choke.  But, I have come to realize the holidays are not the holidays without these sinfully delicious, oatmeal fortified treats.  So, I’m here making these damn things in honor of my grandma and to properly kick off the holiday season!

My grandma was a wonderfully witty, sharp dressing, firecracker of a woman.  I am convinced they only made her kind in the great state of Texas and they don’t make her model anymore.  I try to emulate her class and style and I am, at this very moment (and not at all on purpose), wearing her pearl earrings and one of her fabulous scarves.  That’s about all I got from her when she passed;  in terms of physical possessions, she didn’t have much more to give.  But oh, how I feel her spirit riding with me through all the twists and turns of my path.  I can hear her cheering me on when I need the encouragement and I can hear her scolding me when I need that, too.

One of the most difficult and emotionally challenging moments of my life was back in 2009 when I gave my grandma’s eulogy.  I’m homesick and feeling particularly mushy, so to honor my grandma this Thanksgiving, I’d like to share those words with you all here:

“Family was undeniably the most important aspect of Nannie’s life.

As a child, I spent nearly every Friday evening at Nannie and Grandpa’s house. Usually, Grandpa had already retired to bed before I arrived, which left plenty of quality time for just me and Nannie. Just to put it in perspective, I was grade-school aged at the time, but Nannie never treated me like a child. I was always allowed, encouraged even, to partake in whatever activity she was doing. So, on Friday evenings, that usually meant painting our finger nails, watching Dallas or Dynasty and then staying up extra late for Johnny Carson! I particularly enjoyed staying the night in the summer time when the windows in her bedroom were wide open and the cream colored lace curtains would sway in the gentle breeze. I can still here the screeching of the trains slowly creeping along as I’d drift off to sleep in her bed.

There are many gifts that Nannie passed onto me, as I’m sure she passed onto all of her children and grandchildren. Because of her, I know how to sew; I know how to make a fantastic, perfectly swirled marble cake; I know how to sing Old MacDonald in Spanish; and I know how to work a hammer and a screwdriver.

But the intangible gifts that Nannie willed to me are the most meaningful. Nannie was a progressive, headstrong, confident and independent woman. She was ahead of her time in a lot of ways; yet she was still old fashioned in many senses and it’s that complexity of character that made her such a wonderfully unique person. I can remember, as a child, observing how all the grandsons had it so much easier with Nannie. It was as if the granddaughters were held to a different level of expectation; we were to be strong, confident women who could get the job done without a man, but we were to be there for the men in our lives, to care for them and nurture them. I didn’t fully understand the difficulty of balancing those two facets of being a woman until I was much older. Truly, Nannie was a lady, with class and dignity and strength of character. I consider myself blessed to have her as a grandmother. They really don’t make women like her anymore. If I can be half the woman she was; I’ll feel as though I’ve accomplished something great in my lifetime.

Like all of you, Nannie played an important role in my life. Though I didn’t get to see her very much over the last few years, she was always in my heart and on my mind. I will miss never getting to see her look at my so lovingly and say “Well, I’ll swunney. Come give your Nannie a hug.”

I hope each of you are blessed enough to have someone as special to you as my grandma is (was) to me.  Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

P.S. I cannot share the recipe with you because even my own mother doesn’t have the REAL version.  My grandma only gave it to me!

Suggested musical pairing to enhance your reading experience (I used to listen to this one with my grandma):