{24 Days of Thanksgiving=Day 12}

Today would be my Nana's 67th birthday. I guess it still is. Though she is celebrating in Heaven. It is probably the most glorious celebration. I am sure the day was filled with tea parties, Geraldine stories, laughter, Sonic drinks, spearmint gum, and all things Nana.

I only wish that everyone would have been fortunate enough to meet her. She is the grandmother everyone wished they could have. She cared more for others than anyone I know and always put them first. She knew Jesus. And Jesus knew her. He was first in her life. Than others. She understood what it meant to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul" and "love others as I(Jesus) have loved you."

When I was just nine years old she passed away from a long hard fight against cancer. She is still my inspiration. Not one time did she complain while she was in this battle. She believed that God could heal her and did her best at being the best Nana through it all. She did a great job of that. I was only nine when she went to be with Jesus but I have buckets of memories of things we did together. I remember details. Anything from putt-putt to shopping or going to the movies. My Da, of course, was a part of that too. We had the best of times together.

One thing that she is most remembered for is her love for tea parties. Tea parties where we dress up. Tea parties under the dining room table (yes, she got under the table with us and loved it). Tea parties while talking very properly. There didn't have to be a reason to have a tea party. We just did. Sometimes we would eat yummy delicacies, sip hot tea, and get to hear a Geraldine story. She was famous for her Geraldine stories. (Geraldine is a cat by the way. A very sneaky cat who liked going to the grocery store and especially liked going to church). My Nana was creative. She always had a Geraldine story. We could even ask to hear the story "when Geraldine went to church" and she would relay it the exact same way she had before. Same details, same sweet tone in her voice, same expressions (especially when Geraldine got in trouble). See, she was the best Nana. I miss her dearly.

So today on this 12th day of November I am thankful for my Nana. She left a legacy. She inspired me even as a young girl. She inspires me still. I have so many fond memories of times spent with her and I find myself often thinking of what life would be like if she was still here. She would love my friends. She would love to come watch our shows at our theatre. She would still take us shopping and to the movies. Most of all, we would still have tea parties under the dining room table.