Missing our GIGI

Gigi at the beach...smoking on the balcony...a past time she LOVED!!!
Gigi and Logan's last picture together..relaxing at the beach

I know it has been ages since I last blogged....Life got really crazy and I lost my very special grandmother pretty unexpectedly. Logan and I met her, my aunt and some of GiGi's friends at the beach the last week in February, we knew she was not feeling great, but just thought she was tired from all the shopping. We had planned to leave on a Sunday, but grandmother fell in the bathroom early Saturday morning, so we loaded the cars and Logan and I went home and Gigi went to the hospital. That next Saturday, she passed away surrounded by her family.

I think about her all the time, whether it be having a patient at work that reminds me of her, watching Law and Order and Wheel of Fortune (her favorites) or eating a chocolate Hershey bar (also her favorite). She will always be missed and I am just so thankful we were so close and I have so many wonderful memories of her.

It is so funny, she and Logan would always talk on the phone every night, he went and saw her one night in the hospital and was afraid, so we left. Ever since, he has not asked to call Gigi. He remembers her because I'll show him a picture and his sweet face lights up and says GiGi.

My Aunt wrote an amazing tribute to our special GiGi, she read it at the funeral and did an incredible job. I was sitting there sobbing and I had heard it over and over. Hope you enjoy reading the tribute to an amazing steel magnolia...my grandmother..

You all have heard the term “Steel Magnolia”–a phrase that denotes a Southern Belle who is seemingly frail on the exterior but who possesses a strong, often complicated character. Ruby Vonceil Caveness Pounds epitomizes this term. She was a true lady who always wanted to look her best and who never agreed to wear tennis shoes or blue jeans. She loved it when someone complemented her appearance–especially when Lee Ann said “Grandmother, you’re stylin’ today!”

You can’t remember Mother without associating her with her home. She was an immaculate housekeeper who believed in ironing sheets, dusting daily, and sweeping on practically every trip to the kitchen. Her home was warm and hospitable–a place where my friends and Marsha’s gathered. Her backdoor was always open for friends and family to drop by for a cup of Maxwell House coffee. She was also an exceptional cook–no one can rival her roasts and potatoes, her famous sour cream pound cakes and her special Hershey bar cakes. We family members have been known to actually fight over her peanut butter candy and her homemade pickles.

Mother was a woman who valued tradition. She loved holidays and celebrations. One of her favorite traditions involved making and decorating Christmas cookies with Lee Ann and J. At the end of this activity, Marsha’s kitchen was always covered in icing and sprinkles. She truly loved family gatherings. Last Easter she even helped rig the Easter Egg hunt so that she would get the prizes she wanted–goo goo clusters and a hidden word puzzle book.

This complicated Steel magnolia was competitive; she loved to win whether she was playing bridge, Mexican dominoes, or monopoly. Six thirty was her favorite time of day because of Wheel of Fortune. Her mind was always working for she studied bridge hands in the paper and kept a word search puzzle in her hands at all times!

Steel Magnolias are known for their strength, and Mother was no exception. She endured countless hardships, the most difficult , of course, occurred when she was only 42 when she lost Daddy. Yet she prevailed, sent two daughters to college, and became a stronger, more independent woman.

This Steel Magnolia was definitely faithful. She was loyal to and supportive of her family, and although she might criticize us for the way we wore our hair or for not losing weight, she was our greatest champion when we were in need or trouble. Marsha and I would often tease her about which one of us she loved more; however, since Logan came along 2 years ago, there has been no doubt –the bond between that 2 year old and his GiGi was remarkable. The two talked every day while Logan ate his dinner. Logan will miss his GiGi. Sara and J, Gigi couldn’t wait to find out if Baby Beasley were a boy or girl so that she could go shopping. But you know that she was partial to pink!

Mother was not only faithful to her family, but also to her friends. During this last month, she loved spending time at Orange Beach with Sarah, her longtime friend and college roommate, and Dorothy, her almost sister. Dot, she adored your afternoon coffee chats, and she looked forward to playing bridge on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with her other special friends. Thanks each of you for your love and support.

Mother was also faithful to the First Methodist Church. It was there that Marsha, Mother and I joined the church in the late 1950's, it was there that Daddy’s funeral was held, and there that mine and Marsha’s weddings occurred. In recent years, she enjoyed her Sunday School class, but she only felt at home in the sanctuary if she were sitting in her place–on the right side of the church in the next to the back pew.

Marsha and I want to thank this Steel Magnolia for all that she has done for us. We were blessed to have had her in our lives this long and we will miss her.