small gifts

What a sweet card I had waiting for me when I got home today. It was not a shock at all to see that I had gotten a Christmas card from Mrs. Mary Ellen Taylor. I get one every year, no big deal, right? Well, the story behind Mrs. Taylor is that she was one of my grandma's closest friends. She and my grandma(Mam), and my "Aunt Nora" Wiscaver were old lady runnin' buddies and in WMU together at church. She taught Sunday school for many many years. Her husband, Mr. Raymond, was a deacon there, and Sunday school superintendent for many years as well. She was the hands on teacher, that we all loved. He was the one that dressed up as Santa, and always had one of us climbing in his lap when we were little. Together they were some of the strongest leaders to have ever been within the doors of Wilmar Baptist Church. She also has a wheelchair ridden daughter, named Katherine, and she is a HOOT!! "Kat" was a very good friend of my mother's when she was in high school. (She was in a car accident)

Mr. Raymond battled a long illness with cancer, and passed away in 2000. It was a huge loss for Mrs. Taylor, someone that was married decades to this awesome person.

When I sent her a Christmas card in 2000, I wrote a note in there to her, besides the standard printed one.

Today, I recieved this card back. Seven years later. With her heartfelt works scrawled in red... There's no way to explain how I felt to read it.

The little things sure do mean the most, don't they?

I miss my grandparents dearly, but I know I am blessed to have Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Melba, & Mrs. Audrey as my fill in grandparents. (and fyi, those that know Sara Coe, Mrs. Taylor is HER real grandma)