I dedicate this page as follows:

Though she had been quite lovely as a young woman, years of living as the single parent of four boys on a farm, had left her weathered and tough! Her hands, though calloused and often scratched from either hay, rose bushes, or barbed wire--were the most tender and loving that I ever saw. If they weren't scratched, they were probably stained from picking either black berries or strawberries for the little ol' widows that she took care of out in the country. It may very well have been those hands which most characterized Grandma Elsie, for it was the help and care she gave to others which left no room to question her womanhood.

Having 14 grandchildren meant that Grandma Elsie's house was seldom vacant. She was seldom alone, though she had divorced my grandfather in 1945, and never remarried. By the time my dad (her youngest son), graduated from high school, Gary (my oldest cousin) was well into junior high school. For more than 30 years, she had grandchildren in school. She never missed an event that any of us kids were involved with.

Grandma Elsie has been gone for a number of years now, but if there were any hand I could ever hold, just once, it would be hers. How I wish that we could once more take off across the pasture, past the creek, to the pond to fish. Yes, Grandma Elsie could and did bait the hooks. She probably taught me how.

If I can show other people the compassion and unconditional love that Grandmas Elsie did, then I will possess the glory of womanhood--to nurture...to care for...to correct when necessary those people that I come in contact with each and every day of my life--expecting nothing in return. I love you, Grandma...and I hope you like the flowers!

More of this dedication is on its way. Please be patient and return again soon. Thank you so much for understanding!