Granny

GRANNY

A moon has stopped glowing.

An oak has stopped growing

But there is a shift in the spirit

As a new wind is blowing.

We have come to celebrate

Mattie Ruth Brownlee’s Homegoing.

We celebrate her love for the Lord

And His Word.

We celebrate her smile

And sweet simple country style.

We came to celebrate 93 years

Of cooking, cleaning, birthing, raising, crying,

Laughing, loving, praying, hoping, learning, forgetting,

Working, living, dreaming,

And building a family out of good ol’ fashion blood, sweat, and tears.

93 years…..

Come on now….

How many of us have any idea of what it’s like

To wake up and do ALL of that over 34,000 times?

Talk about commitment to survival.

A Queen Mother that didn’t get that

18th century-Matriarch-of-the-Tribe-she-truly-deserved-as

ROYALTY!

She saw so much of the good in people

And she saw so much of the bad.

Born in a time of war-

She saw more blood spilled in her lifetime

Than I would in three of my lifetimes.

She saw 16 Presidents, Icons, Heroes, Countries,

And indeed,

A WORLD

Come and go…...

Come and go……..

Come and go….......


Through it all,

Granny always had time for conversation.

I remember her cooking spicy sausage and white rice

She’d set that warm pot on her lap and

Eat straight of it…

My Daddy never would have let us do that

So we thought it was the funniest thing….

One of the highlights of my childhood was when

Mama came back for her High School reunion

And we spent the entire night laughing….

With our Granny….

Just us three….

Kevin, Candy, Granny, and Me….

I have quite a few memories on this street….

The hummingbirds I saw stayed with me

And remind me to move slowly…

And methodically….

When I think about Granny sittin on the porch

During Arkansas Rain

Sippin cold ice water out of one of those Mason Jars

Wrapped in a paper towel……..

When I think about her and my Grandfather

Holding hands taking walks down the street

Hands they’d hold for over half a century

I’m reminded to keep life simple

And to stick to my guns

Cuz, just like my Granny always STILL tells me

“God is going to take care of everything.”

She’d say, “Whenever you need anything

Or you feel lost and the world just won’t let you be,

Don’t worry. Just pray to the Lord and he will take care of everything.”

And she believed it.

She didn’t just say it.

She didn’t say “I love Jesus”

But then, “I hate you!” in the same breath.


She didn’t say, “Trust in the Lord”

And then beat the living spirit out of you.

She didn’t say, “I love you

And then vainly call down evil on you in the Lord’s name.

She lived it.

She lived it.

She prayed all the time

If she wasn’t praying

She must have been sleeping

Because my Granny kept Jesus on her mind and heart constantly

And for such a fine example

I am grateful eternally.



Granny I, we will miss you so much.

Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you and Daddy.

I know I say the same for Mackie Faye, Mattie Mae, Aunt Le, Uncle Sylvester,

And all the rest of your children and kinfolks you left behind

To carry on the torch of the McNutt and Brownlee Families

A part of which I am truly proud to be

Because when I think of my ancestry

Of strong black men and women

I’m humbled by the memory of a conversation

I had with Granny

When she told me how my great, great, great grandparents

Survived slavery and worse to go on and pass the torch to their

Grandbaby

So their grandbaby could pass it on to this great grandbaby

So that no one living in our lifetimes

Will ever forget the triumph and the dignity

Running through the veins of this entire Family.



So, even though I appreciate having the shortest month of the year

To honor the most neglected, dominated, and hated members of our society-

FOR ME-

THIS IS MY BLACK HISTORY.

Pride and resilience were the stockings she wore

When there weren’t two restrooms…

But four….

Hope and perseverance was the coat she wore

Whenever she felt like she just couldn’t take any more.

Generosity and kindness were the blouses she wore

Because if you had less and my grand parents were around

You always had just a little bit more…

She wore a beautiful hat of faith, love, honesty, integrity, and Family.

A hat the winds of hate, bigotry, prejudice,

Apathy, neglect, change, and just plain ol’ meanness

Could never blow off.

And these kids run around today talking

Bout somebody “hatin on them”

And they think that makes them cool.

Well guess what!

The lady we honor today would think you a fool

And at the same time love you enough to your face to tell you.


So, where do we go from here…?

I know my Mother and so many others hold you dear.

Please show me how to calm my mother’s tears

And how to be more like my Grandfather in coming years.

I want to keep on keeping on

Like yall did…..

Especially when times get hard and I wanna quit

I wanna keep on keeping on

Like yall did….

And you both kept on until the road came to its natural end….

And now I wanna finish my race

Like yall did….

With accomplishment and integrity.

We know it won’t be easy

But please keep and bless this family

To become all that it can be

So that every McNutt and every Brownlee

Knows no matter where we find our gigantic family

That we will give them the sweetest hospitality….

Just like yall did.

I ask, Granny, In Jesus Name, that we all overcome fears, doubts, shortcomings, stress,

sickness and depression...

Just like yall did….

Thank you so much for 31 years of love.

I will always love you as Mother of Mothers

And always miss you as Queen of Queens.

Forever you will be in my prayers.



And cuz the moon’ll never stop glowin’…

And oaks never stop growin’…


In Honor Of Jesse and Mattie Ruth Brownlee

We will continue to celebrate

Their smiles and

We will keep cooking!

Keep on cleaning!

We will keep working!

We will keep on crying!

We will keep on laughing!

Keep on hoping!

Keep on loving!

We will never stop praying

And we won’t stop dreaming!

We are gonna keep on keeping on

ALL THE WAY…

All the way…

Until it’s time for us to go home too Granny…

JUST

LIKE

YALL

DID!!





By

Quorizma




© 2008