Dedication to my sweet Grandma

Flora Elizabeth Tayloe

(Nate called her Grandma Gigi!)

November 26, 1926-August 19, 2011

I wrote and read a poem for my Grandpa at his funeral last year,

so I wanted to do the same for my Grandma.

My Grandma Flora was by far

the best of the best,

I know I may be quite biased,

But I think she stood above all the rest.

She was a wife and a homemaker

and a mother to four,

Two children here on earth

and two that went to heaven's door.

She was a staple to the Owensville community

and definitely a friend to all,

whether she was helping her Maytag man,

or answering an ambulance call.

When our family was over to visit,

she rarely would sit down to rest,

always catering to other people

or jumping to clean up a mess.

Smuckers will never hold a candle

to my Grandma's strawberry jam,

we loved it when we got our own jars,

no doubt, the recipe was a hit with the fam.

I will not forget her smile or laugh

or her chocolate chip cookies of course,

or the time she held my hand and cried with me

when my mom and dad ultimately got a divorce.

The memories of my sweet Grandma

will be forever etched in my mind,

She was a fixture of our family,

a woman who was loving, gentle, and kind.

It seemed like she was always in the car

going this way or that,

traveling with my Grandpa around the world

keeping track of his cowboy hat.

We spent many of our summer days

with our Grandma by our side,

whether it was hanging out at their place

or going around town for a ride.

She packed us picnics for the lake

and won prizes at the fair,

we played hundreds of games of Uno

and if we had a special event, she was always there.

We were spoiled in her presence

and a birthday she never forgot,

she was so proud of every one of us

and we knew we were loved a lot.

She had a great faith in God

and was in the Word everyday,

she was sensitive to the hurts of all

and to Jesus she would pray.

My Grandma collected angels

of different shapes and every size,

but now she's got wings of her own

no trinket can compare to heaven's prize.

I've been told I have my Grandma's complexion

but I can only hope I have her heart too,

things will not be the same without her,

Grandma, rest in peace, I love you.