Ovelene, my dearest Ovelene

Ovelene, my dearest Ovelene,

Ovelene, about age 18

Every time you have the chance to see
these faces looking back at thee
Remember not the times of sorrow
Nor the feelings of regret
Instead see the seed you've sown
In the garden of our hearts
They slowly rise up from the ground
Encouraged by the words you spake
Our flowers did emerge their heads
Nourished by the love you fed
The petals of our heart did unfurl
Showing beauty to this world
All because you chose to sow
In us the seed of love
February 2006
Ovelene (Aah-vah-leen) White Parrish
02/15/32-09/07/07

I came across this today, and totally had forgotten about it. I wrote this for my grandmother's birthday present in 2006, a collage of photos of each person in her immediate family. This verse now means so much more to me, because, though I didn't at one time, I truly do believe that those who've gone on before us truly do look upon us from heaven.
My grandmother was a very special person in my life. She taught me so many things: how to always keep your hands busy, a home cooked meal is priceless but so is a break from the kitchen, the love of flowers, of handmade items, of history, and most importantly love and belief in our Lord Jesus. She was the second child in a family of eleven, one of only three girls. She eloped to Mississippi with my PaPaw in 1952, fifty years before my own wedding. She had three boys, each three years apart. She saw all three of her grandchildren marry within six months of each other. She also saw the first two of her now five great grandchildren born. She spent three precious months with the second one, my own JJ, before she went to heaven after seven long years battling cancer.
She opened the world of reading to me with the help of my mother. She loved me, believed in me, taught me, shared with me things that shaped me and made me who I am today. I'll never forget the time she told me at the tender age of 16, to apply perfume on the throat, behind the ears and anywhere else you wanted your man to search for and kiss. Trust me, this advice was quite sound! lol
I take it as a compliment when people say I'm just like her, whether or not if they meant it as one. I miss her everyday, I long for our long talks, I wish I could have see the glow in her eyes if she could see all of her family now, especially four great granddaughters surrounding only one great grandson as of now. I like to think I'm at least a little bit like her, even if it is just her stubbornness I inherited!


Myself at about age 18