Saturday, September 15, 2007
Mary Marshall was my grandmother. Her daughter Carol is my mother. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother when I was growing up. The one thing I will always remember about my grandmother was her laughter. She loved a good joke and had a way about putting her hand up over her mouth whenever she laughed or giggled, usually saying afterwards with a smile "shame, shame." She would always ask me and my brothers if we had eaten. If we didn't like what she had she would lecture us about the poor kids in Africa starving. After awhile she figured she'd make what she knew we'd eat--goulosh. She did not like to waste food. She made the best goulosh,pig-in-the-blankets and cabbage salad. As for deserts, we liked her applebar and poppyseed/walnut roll the best. If she knew we were coming, she'd have something special for us. We knew when we spent the night, she'd be in the kitchen in the morning asking us what we wanted for breakfast. I loved her Cream of Wheat. We never ate cold cereal at grandma's house.
Not only was she a good cook, but she was also a very hard worker. She'd work full time at Holiday Inn and do extra housekeeping jobs after work and on weekends to support her family. If it's possible, I think I inherited her cleanliness. She was an immaculant housekeeper. Some may say she was frugal, but she lived through hard times growing up in Yugoslavia and in the mines of Lucerne, Pennsylvania. She knew and was taught to work hard and depend on herself.
As hard as she liked to work, she liked to play. I remember as a kid her giving us money if we would be quiet on long rides, like going to see our cousins in Watertown. The peace was worth any amount of money just to keep us quiet. She couldn't stand to hear us kids argue. She'd say, "Oh, my nerves Carol." Whoever didn't speak for the three hour drive would get a few dollars. Just as we pulled into my cousin's driveway my grandmother would always ask a question and one of us would always answer, losing the money. She'd laugh and say, "You weren't suppose to talk. You lose." She did this every time and always got a kick out of it, laughing. She loved games. She had more enjoyment winning a few pennies over cards. I think it was the fun of getting together with family and friends, having some laughs. She would spend hours playing cards with her sisters when she visited them in Ohio and Pennsylvania. They always had a lot of laughs together.
As she got older, she preferred to stay in her apartment. But she still played her card games. My mother would bring friends over to her apartment to play cards on a weekly basis. She really looked forward to these nights, especially when she was winning. Whenever someone came to town, they'd go visit her at her apartment. She'd always insist on taking a picture of them with her polaroid camera. She had all the pictures of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren displayed in her apartment. I think it was like having family around her all the time. When we left her apartment, she'd insist that we take the polaroid picture. I think it was her way of saying,
remember me. She use to tell me, "If they can't come see me when I'm alive, don't come see me when I'm dead." Grandma, I did come see you. I sent you the birthday card you told me not to send you. I called when you told me not to spend the money. I did this because I loved you. And you always told me, whether in person or on the telephone, that you loved me. Grandma, with or without the polaroids, I will always remember you for your laughter, your love and your constant care. God be with you.
Tracey J. Mecca
