Sunday, August 15, 2010

Grandma Peden

Grandma Peden and her six daughters

I have the privilege of being a part of a wonderful family. Grandma Peden's life taught me important lessons of being a mother, woman, and wife. She passed away on August 3, 2010 at the age of 90. Service, kindness, love are the words that come to my mind when I think of her. She was Paul's maternal grandmother. From the moment that I first met her, I liked her. I could feel of her love for Paul and she included me as part of the family right away.

Grandma Peden was always cooking up someone's favorite dish. The cookie jar was always full of chocolate chips or sugar cookies. Barbeque in the fridge. Homemade chocolate ice cream or Lila's desert in the freezer. Plenty of sodas in the garage fridge. Strawberry, raspberry, peach, choke cherry, and black cap jam in the fridge. A table full of snacks on the back patio. No matter what time of day, if you were hungry she was there ready to make you a meal or a snack. I remember arriving at her house late one night when we were first married, around 8 or 9. There was a full turkey dinner waiting for us--turkey, homemade rolls, beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a banana cream pie.

Grandma Peden loved having family around. She was the happiest when everyone was around. The 4th of July was the big holiday in this family. Some years there were 50 or so people in town. She loved it. She would sit out at the back porch and watch her grandkids and great grandkids play in her backyard. Two years ago, I remember watching her watch everyone play whiffle ball in the backyard. Grandma Peden had the most content, joyful look on her face. So much pride in her posterity, watching her grandsons and granddaughters playing with their kids and each other. I wish I had a picture of the image in my brain. I have never seen such a perfect picture of joy and contentment in my life.

I can only hope to have such wonderful kids and grandkids of my own to look out at as they play in my backyard. I know that the Peden family is like this because of her example of service and unconditional love.


Kelly, Donna, kids and grandkids


Grandma Peden's grandsons riding in the back of Grandpa's truck on the way to the cemetery.

1 comment:

  1. That is exactly what I would have posted about Grandma Peden. So nice to see you blogging, now I need to do so.

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