IN LOVING MEMORY OF.......
Lura Ellen Denson Bennett
She stood four foot eleven inches tall, didn't weight more than
one hundred pounds dripping wet, her face was wrinkle, her brow
was furrowed from the many years of drawing her eyebrows together
while in deep thought or during correcting one of the children,
grandchildren, or great-grandchildren. She was small in statue
but possessed a strength of iron. Though age had taken
it's toll and the wrinkles were deep, I thought she was
unbelievable beautiful. Her door was always open to everyone
and no one entered that she did not raise her arms to in an embrace
saying, "Oh !! I love you so." Her embrace was warm and soft
and she always had the smell of being "fresh from the bath"
but on Sunday she left the faint scent of Lilac
as she passed by you. She was the glue that held the family together.
When she planted those size four feet she could not have
been moved with a bulldozer. She stood firmly on her
conviction and did not waver in her beliefs. She would be
the first to a friend or neighbors door to lend a helping hand
and always had a way with people that made them
feel better once she took her leave.
Everyone in town called her "Maw" Bennett but to me she
was Grandma. The years that have passed since she
went home to be with the Lord has not lessen the memories of
our time together nor has her face every faded in my mind.
I still can feel her, hear her voice, and often times when
I pick the phone up I still dial her phone number
which is no longer in exisistence.
Grandma was well into her sixities when I was born and I cannot
remember her without hair as white as snow on a mountain top
and as silky as liquid silver in your hands. Many the
times I would take her hair down from her "top knot"
or "braid" to brush it since it fell three-quarter of the
way down her back and was hard for her to manage. I
always marvel at the texture of her hair and can still see it
as it fell around her shoulders when taken down at night.
Grandma always said her hair being up caused her head to hurt
and ask me to see that she was buried with it loose. Which, I did.
Grandma was not a stranger to hard work. She gave birth to
ten children and never knew what conveniences were until late in her life.
She lost two children at childbirth and reared eight to adulthood
only to lose her oldest daughter to death due to fire.
Somehow I can still hear the rocker creak as Grandma rocked and lowly talked
to the Lord as she morned her child. I remember her
words....."Lord, it's not natural, it should have been me."
I think I must have been twelve at that time. That was
the first experience for me seeing someone lose a child
but left an everlasting impression on me.
I don't remember too many scoldings from her. She was firm
in what she said and I knew better than to push it. Some of my
dearest moments were in the kitchen with her. She was a person
that cooked from "scratch" and to this day I am the same.
She stood me on a wooden box to get me above the counter top
the first time she started teaching me to cook and it was
always a "pinch" of this or a "bit" of that. Somehow
I learned those terms in the measurements and when someone ask
for a recipe today and I say such terms they look
at me quite oddly and I can't help but think, "Grandma, we did it again."
There was always the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla
in Grandma's kitchen. Grandma's first real luxury
was an Ice Box. She was really proud it and always let
me put the card up on the nail on the front porch informing
the ice man how much ice was needed for the day.
Later she had electric lighting put into the big ole victorian home.
I still remember how amazing that was and how proud
she was of it. Times changed rapidly as did the improvements
in the appliances and more ease for her in her daily chores.
Grandma's opinion was always of importence to me, how I needed
her approval of things in my life. She taught me so much
and loved me more. She was always there for me when
I needed someone to talk to and never failed to make me feel
important and loved, to her I was beautiful and I felt it.
The most important thing I needed her approval on was the "fellar" I married
Oh !! She fell so for him, loved him as if he
were born into her clan by birth. Our two boys
came into this world knowing a great-grandmother and she
adore them. They were the only ones she had in the same town.
They could do no wrong.
Age was slowly taking it's toll
and she was slower. Never greatly complaining but common
sense told me that her time was limited but as a real
"go getter" she was active to within six weeks before she
left this earthly home. She was never one to give in, I walked
into the kitchen one afternoon a week before she became
ill to find her standing on the counter and with a voice
that elevated three octives I ask her, "Grandma, What are you doing?"
She calmly explained she was getting a jar of peaches
down to make her a cobbler.......I did some hussling to
get her down. Grandma left so many memories with me, so
many I can laugh at, some that brings tears. She lived
to be ninety-four years young and the young "fellar"
of mine that she so loved was the one who stood at the head
of her bed with her head resting in the crook
of his arm as she drew her last breaths. She died at
exactly six o'clock p.m. on a Friday afternoon and the
music from the Church Steeple across the street
played "It is no Secret What God Can Do".
I remember that as if it happened yesterday
and I could hear her say,
"Child, I'm tired. I'm just waiting for Jesus to come and carry me home now."
The above article is in Honour of my beloved Grandmother, Lura Ellen Bennett
She lost two children in Childbirth and reared eight children to adulthood.
She had Nine Grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildrn
She was Greaty Loved.
Somehow this page would not have been complete had
I not found the music. "The Old Rugged Cross" was her
favorite hymnal and as she grew older she was only able to see
images but she loved for me to drive her to the Church
where she would ask me to play "The old Rugged Cross"
on the Organ and when it was finished she would say,
"Play it one more time, Sister!". I miss her Greatly !!
Copyright © 2000 – Peggie S. Williams
"All Rights Reserved"
Grand Mother's Legacy
When she died she left me nothing,
Yet,she left me everything,
She revealed her gifts of happiness,
One night to me in a dream.
She taught me to build a garden,
That no-one else can see,
For the garden's deeply hidden,
Within the heart of me.
This garden has many flowers,
Of every size and hue,
It never rains in this secret place,
But,grows lush from inner dew.
Here all things are possible,
For it has no walls nor door.
I can dance among the roses,
Or like an Eagle I can soar.
No-one can steal this place from me,
They don't even know it's there,
And when my life is over,
With another this secret I will share.
Poem by Terrie/Kaavi © 1998
You are listening to
"The Old Rugged Cross"